As instalações avícolas devem assegurar um ambiente de conforto térmico que proporcione ao animal expressar todo o seu potencial genético para produção motivo pelo qual novas ferramentas estão sendo aplicadas para medir o conforto térmico animal destacando-se as câmeras termográficas. Neste trabalho objetivou-se avaliar a associação da temperatura superficial das aves com as das instalações e estimar a transferência de calor sensível. Para isto foram registradas as condições térmicas de alojamento em dois aviários com sistemas de ventilação distintos, no período de março a abril de 2011. Os aviários foram divididos em seis quadrantes para a coleta das temperaturas superficiais obtidas através de uma câmera termográfica infravermelho. Em cada quadrante também foram registradas temperatura ambiente, umidade relativa e velocidade do ar durante as coletas das imagens. Constatou-se que as temperaturas superficiais das aves estão associadas à temperatura superficial da instalação (cortinas laterais, forro e cama). No aviário com ventilação negativa foram registradas maiores velocidades do ar em relação ao convencional razão pela qual possibilitou a maior transferência de calor sensível pelas aves, sugerindo melhores condições de conforto térmico.

Various degrees of lameness were compared among male broilers ranging in age from 28 to 49 d that had been randomly selected from a commercial farm. Gait scores were given to the broilers while they walked on a force measurement platform system, and the force exerted by their feet was measured and compared in 2 distinct conditions: with and without administration of an analgesic. Postmortem femoral degenerative lesions were observed, and the femur strength in response to a compression load was measured and compared. Results showed a difference in the peak vertical forces of the right and left feet before and after medication. The researchers also found that as BW increased, the locomotion ability of broilers tended to decrease. After birds received the analgesic, the peak vertical force increased among the more severely lame broilers at 35 to 49 d of age and their walking speed was decreased, indicating that they might have felt pain during locomotion. No difference was found between the femur (right and left) strength in response to a compression load; however, the results showed that femurs of 28-d-old birds were less resistant to compression (P < 0.05) than those of older broilers. The foot force platform was a useful tool for assessing the walking ability of broilers.

RESUMO: O ambiente de alojamento de instalações para reprodutores suínos tem influência direta no desempenho dos animais. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estimar um padrão de avaliação dos ambientes térmicos, aéreo e acústico em instalações para reprodutores de suínos (cachaços), de maneira que pudesse prover os animais de bem-estar. O experimento foi realizado em granja comercial localizada no município de Salto-SP. Foram levantados os dados de ambiências térmica, aérea e acústica do ambiente de criação, sendo analisados estatisticamente, tendo como base a condição de ambiência ideal para proporcionar bem-estar animal. Os resultados mostraram que a temperatura ambiente ficou cerca de 70% fora da normalidade, enquanto a umidade relativa do ar, a velocidade do ar e a concentração de gases estavam dentro da normalidade. Os dados de nível de ruídos, além de estarem dentro da faixa ideal, não apresentam variações muito altas. Com relação à análise feita utilizando lógica fuzzy, foi possível elaborar um cenário que indicou que os melhores índices de bem-estar para reprodutores suínos ocorrem quando o índice de conforto térmico se aproxima de 80%, e quando o nível de ruído é menor do que 40 dB. Em contrapartida, os piores índices de bem-estar ocorrem no setor em que os valores de conforto térmico são menores que 40%, ao mesmo tempo em que o nível de ruído seja maior que 80 dB, promovendo condições inadequadas ao animal e podendo interferir diretamente no desempenho do sistema reprodutivo. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: machos reprodutores, conforto térmico, bem-estar de suínos. THERMAL, AERIAL, AND ACUSTIC ENVIRONMENT FOR BOAR HOUSING ABSTRACT: The swine breeder rearing environment directly affects the animal's performance. This research had the objective of developing a thermal, aerial and acoustic environmental evaluation pattern for boar housing. The experiment was carried on a commercial swine farm in Salto County-SP, Brazil. Thermal, aerial and acoustic environment data of rearing conditions were registered. Data were statistically analyzed using as threshold the ideal housing environment that leads to animal welfare. Results showed that ambient temperature was around 70% beyond normal range, while air relative humidity, air speed and gases concentration were within threshold values. Noise level data besides being within normal range did not present large variation. In relation to the fuzzy logic analysis it was possible to build up a scenario which indicated that the best welfare indexes to male swine breeders happens when thermal comfort index are close to 80%, and noise level is lower than 40 dB. In the other hand the worst welfare index occur in the sector where the thermal comfort values are below 40% at the same time that the noise level is higher than 80 dB leading to inadequate conditions to the animal, and may directly interfere in the reproduction system performance.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of the air temperature variation on the mean surface temperature (MST) of 7-to 35-day-old broiler chickens using infrared thermometry to estimate MST, and to study surface temperature variation of the wings, head, legs, back and comb as affected by air temperature and broiler age. One hundred Cobb ® broilers were used in the experiment. Starting on day 7, 10 birds were weekly selected at random, housed in an environmental chamber and reared under three distinct temperatures (18, 25 and 32 ºC) to record their thermal profile using an infrared thermal camera. The recorded images were processed to estimate MST by selecting the whole area of the bird within the picture and comparing it with the values obtained using selected equations in literature, and to record the surface temperatures of the body parts. The MST estimated by infrared images were not statistically different (p > 0.05) from the values obtained by the equations. MST values significantly increased (p < 0.05) when the air temperature increased, but were not affected by bird age. However, age influenced the difference between MST and air temperature, which was highest on day 14. The technique of infrared thermal image analysis was useful to estimate the mean surface temperature of broiler chickens.

RESUMO:Este trabalho visou a quantificar as características de resposta produtiva de pintos de corte provenientes de duas linhagens comerciais, em incubatório de regime de estágio múltiplo. Para tal, foram monitorados três lotes de ovos férteis em incubatório comercial, verificando o impacto das seguintes variáveis ambientais: temperatura, velocidade do ar, umidade relativa, concentração de dióxido de carbono e presença de fungos. O acompanhamento de pintos provenientes de duas linhagens comerciais distintas (Cobb ® e Avian ® ) foi feito em três lotes, quando também foram coletados dados de perdas. A análise de componentes principais foi empregada para associar as variáveis de ambiente, produção e perdas, observando a magnitude dos vetores. Os resultados mostraram que o ambiente de incubação influenciou diretamente no desempenho (qualidade, incidência de anormalidades e mortalidade) das duas linhagens de frango de corte. Ambas as linhagens apresentaram perdas produtivas relacionadas à baixa temperatura de incubação na incubadora e no nascedouro, mostrando que a temperatura de incubação é o fator mais importante para que sejam alcançados índices produtivos ótimos. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: avicultura, incubação, ambiência. IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES IN MULTI SETTER INCUBATION IN BROILER'S PRODUCTIONABSTRACT: This research aimed to quantify the characteristics of the productive response of pullets from two distinct genetic strains in multi setter incubator. For this three batches of fertile eggs were monitored in a commercial incubator verifying the impact of the following environmental variables: temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration and presence of fungi. The follow up was done in three flocks of broiler pullets from two commercial genetic strains (Cobb ® and Avian ® ) also along with the data of losses. The principal components analysis was used for associating the variables of environment, production and losses by observing the magnitude of the vectors. Results showed that the environment of incubation influenced the performance (quality, incidence of abnormalities and mortality) of the two broiler's strains. Both strains presented productive losses related to low temperature inside the incubator and in the hatchery showing that incubation temperature is the most important factor for reaching ideal productive index.

The meta-analysis data were obtained from a survey of published articles over 15 years. The data were selected to classify the factors that impact broiler production and separated by influence aspects of animal production (thermal environment and other factors). The relevant data for each study were systematized, grouped and later tabulated and inserted into a database prepared in a spreadsheet. The variables used to analyze the thermal environment were temperature (comfort, high and low) and performance data (weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion). The variables used for other features were ventilation (TER = tunnel + evaporative cooling, PP = positive pressure, NV = natural ventilation) and performance (feed conversion, live weight, mortality, and weight gain). The factors that may influence the production of broilers were tested by covariance analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient and divergence analysis, about the Cobb ® , Ross ® and Hubbard ® strains. The results showed that the factors that most influenced the performance of broilers were temperature, ventilation rate, and genetic strain.

Certain species of fungi of the genus Aspergillus produce a type of cells around the cleistothecium that are called hülle cells. To facilitate the analysis of the formation of these cells, an Aspergillus nidulans strain with high hülle cell production was obtained. Hülle cells from this strain were allowed to grow on dialysis membranes, where it was possible to observe their nuclei. The material was fixed with Carnoy, hydrolyzed with HCl and stained with Giemsa. Several nuclei approximately equal in size to the nuclei of hyphae and conidia were observed during the phase of hülle cell formation. The formation of a macronucleus measuring approximately 3.1 µm was observed in mature hülle cells. To compare the DNA amount, hülle cells and conidia of the CH-89 strain were isolated and submitted to DNA extraction (Tuyl, 1977). The amount of DNA per cell was, on average, 17.2 times greater than the amount of DNA in the conidia.

Mutations related to gene methG 1 of Aspergillus nidulans were analyzed, in order to study a mathematical model for the determination of the mutation rate per nucleus per generation, in filamentous fungi. A replica plating technique was used to inoculate, in a single operation, 26 colonies of the strain, into Petri dishes containing culture medium, and the nine central colonies were analyzed for size and number of conidia in each colony. Using this technique, several central colonies were analyzed with regard to the appearance of mutation, and the number and type of reversions were determined for each colony. The frequencies obtained for each reversion were analyzed, in order to verify if their distribution was in accordance with that of Greenwood and Yule. The data obtained allowed us to conclude that, using the mathematical model studied, it is possible to determine the mutation rate per nucleus, per generation, in filamentous fungi.