Brazil is the world's largest broiler meat exporter. Health control, knowledge and technology, as well as the natural aspects of the country are pointed out as the keys for the success of that product in the market. Brazilian broiler production grew significantly in the last decade; it creates jobs and has a significant social role in Brazilian economy. This study aimed at evaluating the Brazilian broiler meat supply chain from 2000 to 2010 using the social network analysis (SNA). Data from governmental and private sources were organized and analyzed. The focus of this study was the broiler production supply chain segment involving the hatchery, the broiler farm, the feed mill, the processing plant, and the government. The inputs considered were one-day-old chicks, pullet, feedstuff, and the infrastructure; and the outputs were broiler meat and taxes paid. The software UCINET was applied for calculating the structural attributes and indicators of the network. Results showed a relatively disorganized network in 2000 with the strongest tie between the farmer and the processing plant. The structural organization of the network improved until 2010. The density of the ties in the broiler meat production network increased steadily from 2000 to 2010 within a vertical cohesive supply chain structure. The success of Brazilian broiler meat production is attributed to the abundance of land, fertile soil, favorable climate, and the effort and investments in research and development by innovative companies in the last few years. The results of the present study showed that Brazilian broiler production evolved positively in the last ten years, and it was weakly influenced by international challenges.

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Locomotion deficiencies in broiler production cause poor welfare and lead to change in drinking and feeding behavior with consequent loss in weight gain. This research aimed to assess locomotion deficiencies in broiler chicken by analyzing the vertical peak force on both feet during walk. A chamber was built with an inlet ramp, a horizontal walkway in the middle and an outlet ramp. In the walkway a thin mat with piezoelectric crystal sensors was placed to record the step vertical peak force of the feet while walking on the force platform. The measurement system consisted of a mat with electronic sensors and software that allowed real time recording of the forces and the processing and analysis of data. Footage was taken from two digital video cameras and used for gait scoring. Forty male broilers were chosen at random, grown under similar rearing conditions and farms, with age varying from 49 to 28 days (ten birds of same age) to be used in the trial. Measurement consisted of inducing the bird to walk on the force platform which automatically registered the peak vertical force of the steps. Results showed that the gait score increased with the weight and age of the birds. Peak force asymmetry was found for each foot, independent of age or gait score. Although not identified visually in the broilers, the peak vertical force values differed in both right and left feet leading to slow and uneven walking. Walking deficiency was more severe in older birds. Key words: poultry production, gait scoring, feet force measurement, welfare Medida de deficiência locomotora em frango de corte RESUMO: Deficiência em locomoção é hoje um dos problemas mais importantes na produção de frangos de corte. É causa de baixo bem-estar e leva a alteração no comportamento de bebida e alimentação, com conseqüente perda de ganho de peso. Mediram-se deficiências locomotoras em frango de corte por meio da análise do pico de força plantar vertical em ambas as patas, durante a caminhada. Foi construída uma câmara com uma rampa de entrada, uma área horizontal de passagem e uma rampa de saída. Na parte horizontal da área de passagem foi colocado um tapete fino, com elementos sensores de cristal piezoelétrico, para registrar o pico de força vertical das patas do frango quando este caminhava sobre a plataforma. O sistema de mensuração consistiu de um tapete com sensores eletrônicos e um programa computacional que permitiu o registro de forças em tempo real e o processamento e a análise de dados. Imagens de vídeo foram tomadas a partir de duas câmeras digitais para atribuir o gait score. Quarenta frangos machos foram aleatoriamente selecionados em condições similares de alojamento e da mesma granja, com idade variando de 49 a 28 dias (dez de cada idade) e usados no experimento. A medida consistiu em induzir a ave a caminhar sobre a plataforma de força que automaticamente registrava o pico de força da passada. O gait score aumentou com o peso e a idade das aves. Foi encontrada assimetria nos picos de força da cada pata, independente da idade...

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Brazil is the world's largest producer of oranges and uses more than 70% of the harvested fruits in the production of juices. The amount of processed orange is growing about 10% per year, confirming the trend of the Brazilian citrus for juice production. This research aimed to investigate the Brazilian orange juice production chain from 2005 to 2009. Data from the amount of frozen juice produced and exported, international price of orange juice, and intermediate transactions were assessed in order to make possible selection of all interveners involved in the chain. The study using the Social Network Analysis (SNA) showed that the densest relationships in the network are from exporters to importers and from orange growers to the orange processing industry. No difference was found in the values of the network geodesic distance or the clustering coefficients from 2005 to 2009. The degree of centrality increased steadily throughout the years indicating that the processing industry attempts to minimize the risks by centralizing the actions. A decrease in export of orange juice from 2007 (2.07 10(6) t) to 2008 (2.05 10(6) t) was found, probably due to the world's financial crisis with recovery in 2009. Since 2004, there has been an increase of nearly 10% per year in the market preference of concentrate juice (OFCJ) when compared to the "not from concentrated" juice (NFC). Nowadays the NFC market represents nearly 50% of all Brazilian export which impacted in the logistic distribution and transportation issues.

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O setor de manutenção de frota representa grande parte dos custos nas propriedades agroindustriais e toda a inovação e tecnologia empregada na redução destes custos impacta diretamente no preço final do produto. Diante desse contexto, o objetivo desse artigo é identificar como está configurado o estado do conhecimento sobre as ferramentas de manutenção preditiva para motores diesel. Para atender o objetivo, foi utilizada uma revisão bibliográfica sistemática, composta por três fases: Entrada, Processamento e Saída. Foi possível identificar um avanço nas produções científicas relacionadas as ferramentas de manutenção preditiva, o que reforça a sua importância.  Ao analisar os documentos na íntegra, foi possível categorizar os documentos por aplicabilidade, sendo: Industrial; Motores Diesel; Motores Diesel 2T; Motores Diesel de Tratores Agrícolas; Motores e equipamentos Mecânicos; Ônibus e Transporte de Passageiros; Mineração e Marítima.  Pôde-se, ainda, concluir que os setores que mais pesquisam e desenvolvem ferramentas de manutenção preditiva para motores são o industrial e o marítimo. Dos 41 documentos analisados nesta pesquisa, oito são capítulos de livros, o que demonstra que a análise de tal formato documental é relevante à temática aqui abordada.  Da mesma forma, pesquisas sobre a manutenção preditiva vem ganhando importância nos últimos anos, o que nos leva a acreditar que também deve caminhar em direção ao setor agrícola.