Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:44:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_jacson_zuchi.pdf: 293310 bytes, checksum: e34d732288d3fcfbddf307f0984f9fff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-18 / The sowing season definition is an important operation step in a crop. The sowing season can also play a great effect on the yield and castor bean seed quality (Ricinus communis L.). Thus the objective of this study was to evaluate the yield and the seed quality of four castor bean cultivars on two sowing season and in two cropping systems. The cultivars were used in this study, that are IAC 226, IAC 80, Al Guarany 2002 and BRS 188 Paraguaçu, where, the first sowing was November and the other was December, each season was settle in 12 experimental units in each crop system. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks with 3 replications. The following evaluations were done: emergence, insertion height of the central spike, plant height, number of spikes per plant, number of spikes per bloom, flowering period, harvest period, yield, hull percentage, weight of seed thousand, seed vigor, germination and dormancy degree. Based on the results, the following conclusions were taken: 1 - The sowing season played a role on castor cultivars behavior, but did not affect the seed yield. 2 - The BRS Paraguaçu 188, IAC 226 and Al Guarany 2002 cultivars produced seeds with higher quality in the first sowing season, while the IAC 80 cultivar produced seeds with higher quality in the second sowing season. / A definição da época de semeadura é uma etapa importante na exploração de uma cultura agrícola. A época de semeadura também pode exercer grande influência quanto ao rendimento e qualidade das sementes de mamona (Ricinus communis L.). Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a produtividade e a qualidade de sementes de quatro cultivares de mamona em duas épocas de semeadura sob dois sistemas de cultivo. As quatro cultivares utilizadas foram, IAC 226, IAC 80, Al Guarany 2002 e BRS 188 Paraguaçu, semeadas no início de novembro e início de dezembro, em que cada época constitui-se de 12 unidades experimentais, em cada sistema de cultivo. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos casualizados com três repetições. Foram realizadas avaliações de emergência, altura de inserção do primeiro cacho, altura de planta, número de cachos por planta, número de cachos por floração, período de floração, período de colheita, produtividade, percentagem de casca, peso de 1000 sementes, vigor, germinação e grau de dormência nas sementes. Com base nos resultados obtiveram-se as seguintes conclusões: 1 - A época de semeadura influencia o comportamento das cultivares de mamona, porém não influencia a produtividade de sementes; 2 - As cultivares BRS 188 Paraguaçu, IAC 226 e Al Guarany 2002 apresentam sementes de maior qualidade na 1ª época de semeadura, enquanto que a cultivar IAC 80 apresenta na 2ª época de semeadura.

Orientadores: Rubens Maciel Filho, Paulo de Tarso Vieira e Rosa / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T13:48:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RodriguezGuerrero_JulieKaterine_M.pdf: 4744317 bytes, checksum: 8df1bde5d893cdf55d7e26d1c72fc31d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Neste trabalho, foram estudados três processos de síntese de ésteres etílicos: sem catalisador, com catalisador homogêneo (hidróxido de sódio) e com catalisador heterogêneo (difosfato ácido de lantânio), a partir de óleo de mamona em etanol sub e supercrítico. O estudo da influência das variáveis de operação na conversão nos processos não catalítico e usando catalisador homogêneo foi realizado por meio de planejamento experimental associado à metodologia de superfície de resposta, utilizando como variáveis independentes a temperatura, o tempo de reação, a razão molar etanol:óleo e, quando utilizado, a concentração de catalisador. No caso do processo com catalisador heterogêneo, foram feitas análises nas condições ótimas (temperatura e razão molar) determinadas a partir do planejamento experimental dos outros dois processos. Verificou-se que, usando 0,1 % m/m de NaOH (quantidade inferior à necessária para neutralizar o óleo), foi possível obter conversões elevadas e que o uso de difosfato ácido de lantânio apresenta uma atividade catalítica significante na produção de biodiesel, mesmo utilizando óleos com índice de acidez alto. A máxima conversão atingida foi 98,94 % no processo com catalisador homogêneo, 92,94 % no processo com catalisador heterogêneo e 56,17 % no processo não catalítico. Além disso, foi obtida a cinética das reações e as energias de ativação para os três processos, observando-se que as constantes de reação são de pseudo primeira ordem. As energias de ativação encontram-se dentro da faixa reportada na literatura. Além disso, verificou-se que, a opção de trabalhar com NaOH é a mais viável em termos operacionais, já que o custo do catalisador é baixo, a quantidade de catalisador empregada é pequena e, adicionalmente, não requer uma etapa de pré-tratamento do óleo de mamona usado como matéria-prima / Abstract: In this work, three processes of synthesis of ethyl esters were studied: non-catalytic, using homogeneous catalyst (sodium hydroxide) and using heterogeneous catalyst (acid lanthanum diphosphate), from castor oil and sub and supercritical ethanol. The influence of the operating variables on the conversion of both non-catalytic and using homogeneous catalyst processes was studied by means of a design of experiment associated to the surface response methodology, using temperature, reaction time, ethanol:oil molar ratio and, whenever used, catalyst concentration as independent variables. In the process with heterogeneous catalyst, several analysis were performed under the optimum conditions (temperature and molar ratio) calculated from experimental design of the other two processes. It was verified that, using 0,1% wt of NaOH (amount lower than the required to neutralize the oil), it was possible to obtain high conversions and that using acid lanthanum diphosphate presents a significant catalytic activity on the biodiesel production, even using oils with high acidity index. The maximum conversion reached was 98,94 % in the process with homogeneous catalyst, 92,94 % with heterogeneous catalyst and 56,17 % in the non-catalytic process. Additionally, the reaction kinetics and activation energies were obtained for the three processes, observing that the reaction rate constants are pseudo first order. The activation energies are within the range reported on literature. Besides, it was verified that the option of working with NaOH is the most interesting in operational terms since the catalyst cost is low, the amount of catalyst used is small and, in addition, it is not necessary a pretreatment stage of the castor oil used as raw material / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Orientador: Rubens Maciel Filho / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T13:17:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Miranda_JulioCesardeCarvalho_M.pdf: 5447186 bytes, checksum: 673a48d41a839dc0293c2ea573c40fad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: O biodiesel é um combustível produzido a partir de fontes renováveis, atóxico e livre de enxofre. Apesar de ser uma alternativa possível aos combustíveis fósseis, os dados relacionados ao biodiesel e principalmente à simulação de processos são escassos. Para que isso fosse superado foi construído a partir de métodos de contribuição de grupos e dados experimentais um banco de dados próprio para a simulação do processo de produção do Biodiesel a partir dos óleos de Soja, Pinhão Manso e Mamona. A partir da composição inicial dos triacilgliceróis presentes nos três óleos foram calculadas propriedades como: Temperatura Crítica, Pressão Crítica, Pressão de Vapor, Energia Livre de Gibbs de Formação Padrão, Entalpia de Formação. Os óleos virtuais foram testados em um mesmo layout de simulação com o objetivo de comparar energeticamente as três fontes de matéria-prima, esse layout promoveu a inserção de um vaso flash para prover o reciclo do etanol para o sistema. Foram testadas também outras duas mudanças de layout de simulação. Nos casos da soja e da mamona, respectivamente, duas colunas de destilação e uma retirada lateral na coluna de destilação. Os resultados obtidos foram de grande significância, pois foi possível comparar as três matérias-primas e os três layouts de simulação de forma adequada, sendo os melhores resultados obtidos para a soja. No entanto, se pode desconsiderar tecnicamente o uso do Pinhão Manso e da Mamona, fontes que não competem com commodities alimentícias e possuem alta produtividade no Brasil / Abstract: Biodiesel is a fuel made from renewable sources, nontoxic and sulfur free. Despite being a possible alternative to fossil fuels, the data related to biodiesel and especially to the process simulation are scarce. To overcome this, was constructed, using group contribution methods and experimental data, a database suitable for the simulation of the production process of biodiesel from soybean oil, castor and physic nut oils. From the initial composition of triacylglycerols present in the three oils were calculated properties as: Critical Temperature, Critical Pressure, Vapor Pressure, Gibbs Free Energy of Formation of Standard Enthalpy of Formation. The virtual oils were tested within a same simulation layout in order to compare the energetically the three raw material sources, this layout has promoted the inclusion of a flash drum to provide the recycling of ethanol into the system. Were also tested two other changes on simulation layout in cases of soybean and castor oil, respectively, two distillation columns and one lateral withdraw in the distillation column. The results were especially significant because it was possible to compare the three raw materials and the three layouts simulated adequately, and the best results obtained for soybean, however, technically not disregarding the use of physic nut and castor, sources that do not compete with food commodities and have high productivity in Brazil / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Orientador: Maria Regina Wolf Maciel / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T14:16:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ParadaHernandez_NataliaLorena_D.pdf: 3619653 bytes, checksum: 89e5fe01b39a1e7b4df6202248e4f9c5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: O objetivo desta pesquisa é sintetizar um biopolímero a partir do óleo de mamona usando um processo não tóxico, tanto na síntese da resina epoxídica quanto no processo da sua cura, visando obter assim um biomaterial com características adequadas para uso na área médica. Para isso, foi necessária a funcionalização do óleo de mamona, por meio do processo de epoxidação, para posterior utilização como monômero na síntese do biopolímero. O processo de epoxidação foi realizado utilizando um sistema catalítico verde (H2O2/Al2O3/acetato de etila). Inicialmente, foi realizada a epoxidação do ricinoleato de metila (componente modelo), para a avaliação da eficiência do processo de epoxidação. Neste estudo foi utilizada a metodologia de planejamento de experimentos, a qual possibilitou definir as variáveis significativas do processo de epoxidação. A epoxidação do componente modelo foi monitorada por meio de Cromatografia Gasosa acoplada a um Detector de Ionização de Chama (GC-FID). Os resultados mostraram alta conversão (99%), em poucas horas de reação (2h), e ausência de subprodutos (99% de seletividade). Com esses resultados, procedeu-se com a epoxidação do óleo de mamona, cuja eficiência do processo foi avaliada por meio de Espectroscopia no Infravermelho por Transformada de Fourier (FTIR) e Espectroscopia Raman (FT-Raman) e Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Prótons (1HNMR). Após epoxidação do óleo de mamona, foi avaliada a reação de polimerização do óleo de mamona epoxidado (ECO) usando ácidos carboxílicos (ácido cítrico) como comonômero, utilizando a técnica de Calorimetria Exploratória Diferencial (DSC), FTIR, Análise Termogravimétrica (TGA) e testes de capacidade de inchamento. Os resultados obtidos indicam que o processo de polimerização estudado é viável, obtendo-se um poliéster reticulado. Visando a possível aplicação do poliéster obtido na engenharia de tecidos e área médica, foi realizada a análise de citotoxicidade do polímero obtido, usando células Vero (fibroblastos). O resultado da análise de citotoxicidade mostrou a não toxicidade do polímero sintetizado em células Vero (fibroblastos) / Abstract: The target of this research is to synthesize a biopolymer from castor oil using a nontoxic process, not only in the epoxy resin synthesis but also in its curing process, aiming to obtain a biomaterial with suitable characteristics for medical applications. With this purpose, castor oil was functionalized using an epoxidation process in order to be used as monomer in the biopolymer synthesis. Epoxidation process was performed using a green catalytic system (H2O2/Al2O3/ethyl acetate). Initially, it was carried out the epoxidation of methyl ricinoleate (model compound) for evaluating the epoxidation process efficacy by using experimental design methodology, allowing in this way to define the significant epoxidation process variables. Model compound epoxidation was monitored by gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The evaluation of the results showed high conversion (99%) in a few hours (around 2hs) without byproduct formation (99% selectivity). Taking into account these results, it was performed the castor oil epoxidation and the process efficacy was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman Spectroscopy and 1H NMR. After castor oil epoxidation, epoxidized castor oil (ECO) polymerization using carboxylic acids (citric acid) as comonomer was evaluated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), FTIR, Thermogravimetric Analyses (TGA) and swelling tests. The obtained results showed that polymerization process is viable and it was obtained a cross-linked polyester. In order to evaluate the potential application of the obtained polymer in the medical field, it was performed a cytotoxicity assay using Vero cells (fibroblast type). Cytotoxicity results showed nontoxic effect of synthesized polyester on Vero cells / Doutorado / Engenharia Química / Doutora em Engenharia Quimica

Este trabalho tem por finalidade, o estudo do comportamento do adesivo poliuretano à base de mamona para o emprego em madeira laminada colada (MLC). A eficiência do adesivo foi avaliada por meio da resistência dos seguintes ensaios mecânicos: cisalhamento, tração normal e tração paralela às fibras. Os ensaios seguiram as recomendações da norma brasileira NBR 7190/97 \"Projeto de estruturas de madeiras\" e por meio de seus resultados foram determinados os parâmetros de colagem como: viscosidade (V), tempo de pressão de colagem (Tp), pressão de colagem (P) e tempo de cura (Tc) e avaliadas as influências dessas variáveis e de suas interações sobre as resistências. Duas espécies de madeira foram empregadas: o Pinus caribea hondurensis e o Eucaliptus grandis, geralmente empregadas em reflorestamento nas regiões Sul e Sudeste do Brasil, onde estão localizadas as indústrias de MLC. O adesivo estudado é do tipo bicomponente, o poliol B1640 e o prepolímero A249, oriundo de recurso natural e renovável, de cura a frio, não agressivo ao ser humano e nem ao meio ambiente e é uma tecnologia nacional. Os resultados mostraram que o adesivo à base de mamona é um boa alternativa para a utilização da madeira laminada colada em estruturas com espécies de reflorestamento. / The aim of this work is the study of the polyurethane adhesive based on castor oil in glued laminated timber structures (GLULAM). The efficiency of the adhesive was evaluated using the following mechanical tests: shear, perpendicular and parallel tension to the grain strengths. The Brazilian Code NBR 7190/97 \'\'Design of the timber structures\" was used to the tests and based on these results were determined the gluing parameters as: viscosity (V), gluing pressure (P), time of pressure (Tp) and the curing time (Tc) and evaluated the influence of these variables and interactions on the mechanical strengths. Two wood species Pinus caribea hondurensis and Eucaliptus grandis were chosen because they are used as reforestation in South and Southeast areas in Brazil where are located the glulam industries. The adhesive studied is of the two components, that is, the poliol B1640 and the prepolymer A249 and is made of a natural and renewable resource, cure in the environment conditions, not aggressive to man and the environment, and a national technology. The results showed a good performance of this adhesive, a good technical alternative for the technology utilization of GLULAM in timber structures with reforestation species.

Entre as principais oleaginosas eleitas para a produção de biodiesel, encontra-se a mamona (Ricinus communis L.), por possuir elevado teor de óleo, conhecido como óleo de rícino, extraído pela prensagem das sementes, contendo 90% de ácido graxo ricinoléico, o qual confere ao óleo suas características singulares, possibilitando ampla gama de utilização industrial. A produção brasileira de mamona concentra-se na caatinga baiana. A agricultura desta região, embora seja feita sem o uso de insumos agrícolas mantém uma produtividade regular. Com isso, tornou-se importante avaliar o efeito ambiental desta cultura sobre os estoques de C (carbono) e N (nitrogênio) no solo e os mecanismos de sua manutenção. Este trabalho foi realizado em solos de uma fazenda na região de Irecê-BA, tendo como objetivos calcular os estoques de C e N no solo; calcular o fluxo de gases do efeito estufa dos resíduos de mamona; calcular os valores C e N da biomassa microbiana no solo (BMS) e analisar o perfil da comunidade de bactérias fixadoras de N2 no solo por PCR-DGGE. Os resultados indicaram a ausência de variações nos estoques de C entre os tratamentos de mamona com 10, 20 e 50 anos de cultivo (48 Mg ha-1) sendo superados pelos valores encontrados na caatinga (90 Mg ha-1); mesma condição para o estoque de N (5,3 Mg ha-1 nos tratamentos de mamona e 8 Mg ha-1 na caatinga). Já os valores de C-microbiano foram superiores na caatinga, mas não apresentaram diferenças entre os cultivos de mamona; para o N-microbiano, os valores não sofreram diferenças entre as camadas, porém foram inferiores no tratamento de mamona com 10 e 50 anos de cultivo. O fluxo de gases de N-N2O e C-CO2 foram maiores para o tratamento com aplicação de resíduos orgânicos de mamona chegando a 160 mg m-2 h-1 de C-CO2 e 600 mg m-2 h-1 de N-N2O. O teste de redução de acetileno (ARA) e a análise de DGGE indicaram que o perfil da comunidade de bactérias diazotróficas do solo nos diferentes tratamentos sofreu alteração e permitiu a estocagem de N no solo durante os 50 anos de cultivo viabilizando, ambientalmente, a produção de mamona nesta região. / Among the main oils elected for biodiesel production is the castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) for its high oil content, known as castor oil extracted by pressing the seeds containing 90% ricinoleic acid, which gives the oil its unique features, allowing a wide range of industrial use. Brazilian production of castor oil is concentrated in the tropical dry forest of Bahia. Farming in this region, although it is made without the use of agricultural inputs remains a regular productivity. With this, it became important to assess the \"environmental effect\" of this culture on the stocks of C (carbon) and N (nitrogen) in soil and the mechanisms for its maintenance. This work was carried out in soils of a farm in Irecê-BA, aimed to calculate the stocks of C and N in soil, calculated the flows of greenhouse gases from oil waste; to figure out the values of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) of microbial biomass in soil (BMS and to analyze the profile of the community of N2-fixing bacteria in soil through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Results indicated the absence of changes in C stocks between treatments of castor oil with 10, 20 and 50 years of cultivation (about 48 Mg ha-1) being outweighed by values found in the tropical dry forest (90 Mg ha-1); same condition verified for the stock of N (5.3 Mg ha-1 treatments of castor and 8 Mg ha-1 in tropical dry forest). As for values of microbial-C, they were higher in the tropical dry forest and did not present differences between the cultures of castor oil; regarding microbial-N values, there have not been differences between the layers, but they were lower for castor oil with 10 and 50 years of cultivation. The gases flow accumulated N-N2O was significantly higher than that of CCO2 and higher for the treatment of soil with organic fertilizer castor reaching 160 mg m- 2 h-1 of C-CO2 and 600 mg m-2 h-1 of N-N2O. ARA analysis and DGGE indicated that the profile of the diazotrophic community of soil in different treatments had change, allowing the storage of N in soil during the 50 years of cultivation enabling, in environmental terms, the production of castor oil in this region.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Microbiology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Antioxidants play an important role in living organisms to control level of free radicals and other reactive molecules in the body to reduce oxidative damage. Synthetic antioxidant compounds are used in food industries as food additives to boost our immune systems. These compounds are associated with a number of critical side effects including liver damage and carcinogenesis. Scientists are also concerned about microorganisms that have developed resistant genes against current antibiotics used in hospitals. The aim of the study was to isolate and characterize bioactive compounds from Ricinus communis leaves with activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). Consequently, medicinal plants are studied and considered for their efficacy and safety, because they possess bioactive compounds with various biological activities. Leaves of R. communis were collected at the University of Limpopo, Turfloop campus in Limpopo province, South Africa. The leaves were dried and milled to a fine powder. A number of trial extraction methods were employed using various solvents of different polarities on a fine powder leaves to identify the best extraction method. Plant extracts were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) developed in four mobile phases. To detect separated phytochemical compounds, TLC plates were sprayed with vanillin- sulphuric acid in methanol and heated at 110oC for optimal colour development. Qualitative antioxidant activity was determined by using 2, 2–diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay on TLC plates. Quantitative antioxidant activity was determined by measuring percentages scavenging activity of DPPH and 2, 2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) free radical molecules by plant extracts. Antibacterial activity of all extracts was quantified by a serial microbroth dilution method while bioautography was used in qualitative analysis of the active compounds. Cytotoxicity effect of R. communis extracts was evaluated using tetrazolium-based calorimetric assay on human Caucasian skin fibroblast (Bud-8) cell line. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using phagoburst kit on Raw 264.7 macrophages cell line. Pure compounds were subjected to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for 1H, 13C and DEPT experiments to elucidate structures of compounds. 2 During extraction process, methanol was the best extractant, extracting greater amount of extracts than any of the other solvents. Serial exhaustive extraction method was selected as the best extraction method for extracting compounds from ground plant materials. In quantitative antioxidant assays, chloroform and methanol extracts had highest percentage scavenging activity against DPPH free radicals compared to other extracts and vitamin C. Methanol extract had the highest percentage scavenging activity of ABTS free radicals and minimum percentage scavenging activity was in hexane extract. Acetone, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts showed strong antioxidant activity against DPPH free radicals in qualitative antioxidant assay on TLC plates. In quantitative antibacterial assay, crude extracts showed lowest minimum inhibitory concentration value of 0.13 mg/ml against all tested organisms and the highest was 1.05 mg/ml. Hexane extracts revealed potent antibacterial activity against all tested microorganisms on bioautograms. Hexane and acetone extracts also revealed anti-inflammatory activity and have ability to reduce oxidative stress. In cytotoxicity effect of plant extracts, Methanol extracts had lethal concentration for 50% of the cells (Lc50) of 784 μg/ml on Human Caucasian skin fibroblast (Bud-8) cell line while hexane extracts had Lc50 of 629 μg/ml. Plant extracts with high Lc50 are low toxic to normal cell line and preferable to work with for drug development. Bioassay-guided fractionations results in successful isolation of three antioxidant and two antibacterial compounds from R. communis using column chromatography. Isolated compounds were tested for their biological activities using qualitative DPPH assay on TLC plates for antioxidant activity and bioautography for antibacterial activity. Antioxidant compounds showed strong antioxidant activity after spraying with DPPH in methanol and antibacterial compounds showed less activity compared to the crude extracts. The study suggests the use of crude extracts to fight against pathogenic microorganisms compared to pure compounds. Compound 4 was successful identified as the mixture of stigmasterol and β-sitosterol. The present study recommends the use of R. communis leaves as the potential source of antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds. The study serves as a scientific proof for use of this plant in traditional medicine for treatment of various ailments.

This diploma thesis deals with ultrasound attenuation measurement methods. Variety of methods are developed and tested . Castor oil was used as reference material. Different kinds of ultrasound transducers, hydrophone and ultrasound scanner GE Vingmed SystemFive were used for measurement. Data was processed by scripts developed in matlab.

The semiaquatic mammals - amongst them the beaver Castor fiber - are inhabitants of the land-water-ecotone, which is characterized by length and low depth.Due to specific adaptations to their habitats, semiaquatic mammals are highly dependent on the specific structures and resources of the ecotone riverbank. Anthropogenic influences on the ecotone riverbank often cause destruction of the resources that leads to a decrease of structural diversity.Being a primary consumer, the beaver mainly uses the water as a medium for locomotion and escape. The equipment of the riverbank, mainly the bankside vegetation, is of great importance concerning foraging. The presence and the quantity of certain biofacts like feeding or cutting places and scent mounds give a hint on the value of different structures and resources of the bankside with regard to certain modes of behaviour. They also give information on different qualities of the used and unused parts of the bankside.Biofacts of beaver-activity were recorded along 20 km of riverbank during a five-year-period. The results of the statistical analysis show that beavers - concerning species-specific mode of behaviour - prefer certain riverbank structures. Biofacts and near-natural structures such as steep bank, riparian forest and willows correlate significantly positive whereas biofacts and anthropogenic structures as slope, farmland or absence of woody plants show significantly negative correlation. There is a strong connection between the number of biofacts - that is use of the riverbank or slope - and structural diversity. Based on these results, an eco-ethological model has been developed which makes it possible to predict behaviour in dependence on the specific structures and resources of the banks and slopes of anthropogenic influenced streams.

Modeling habitat suitability is beneficial for management and conservation of a species. Although data-rich models are commonly used, opinion-based models may be a beneficial alternative to estimate suitable habitat locations. Despite the increasing use of habitat models, few studies have linked habitat model covariates (i.e., land cover, weather, and normalized difference vegetation indexes (NDVI)) to demographic parameters. This study evaluates model performance and transferability of maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and expert opinion models for predicting American beaver (Castor canadensis) distribution in the southeastern US. I also investigated the relationship of environmental and habitat model covariates to beaver survival. The model’s predictive performance and transferability were evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) index. Both model approaches performed well at predicting beaver presence. While MaxEnt had better performance, the expert models predicted greater areas as suitable for beaver. Beaver survival was estimated for northern Alabama and was found to be influenced by NDVI and weather covariates in this study.