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Abstract Symphysodon discus is known in the world of aquariums for its market value, beauty, and behavior. However, more substantial information about its physiology and biology must be available, which can hinder its development and maintenance in breeding systems. The study evaluated the blood biochemistry and erythrogram of 20 specimens of S. discus captured in the municipality of Barcelos, Amazonas, with an average weight of 89.80 ± 7.13 g and an average length of 13.48 ± 0.55 cm. The erythrogram evaluated variables such as hematocrit (Ht), hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Blood biochemistry was analyzed, including cholesterol levels, total proteins, triglycerides, glucose, urea, and chlorides. Intra-specific variations were observed between the surveyed individuals about the Hb, MCV, and MCH values. The values of triglycerides, cholesterol, and chlorides were elevated compared to other cichlids. This study may be useful to serve as a parameter to indicate the normal health conditions of this Amazonian cichlid. It can be applied in studies for ornamental fish farming and actions for managing and conserving the species.

The consumer fishing operation can be engaged in fishing problems in consumer health, so the present work as structural conditions and manipulation of the municipal fair of Manaus. Observations were made at three Centro, Santo Antônio and Betânia district fairs. Note that the hygienic and sanitary conditions of the workers are precarious; in one of the fairs, it was possible to verify the protective equipment such as gloves, caps, the presence of animals near the window where the fish is exposed for sale, styrofoam boxes used for the storage in an inappropriate state, dirty and the company of parcels with fish on the floor without any secondary packaging for protection. Therefore, it is concluded that it is necessary to train users on the dangers that can affect the lack of adequate handling of the consumer's health, which may interfere directly with the local fishing sector.

Abstract Fish processing provides waste of around 50.0% to 70.0% of the animal's initial weight, especially the skin. Thus, this residue contains the by-product that allows biopolymers to be obtained, highlighting collagen, which can be widely used in different areas. The present study aimed to evaluate the yield of collagen extracted from peacock bass Cichla monoculus skin and to characterize them physicochemically. Twenty-five peacock bass with an average weight of 646 ± 175 g were used. The skin samples were removed by manual filleting and weighed, with an average yield of 3.7%. Subsequently, such models were analyzed for chemical composition, showing 61.8% for moisture, 29.3% for crude protein, 1.5% for ash, 6.3% for total lipids, and 1.2% for non-nitrogenous extract (NNE). Acid-soluble collagen (ASC) presented an average yield of 8.2%, presenting in its analysis of centesimal composition 12.5% of moisture, 82.6% of crude protein, 1.1% of ash, 2.6% of total lipids, and 1.2% NNE. The skin and collagen extracted from the tucunaré skin have technological potential for use in the preparation of products, adding value to these by-products from fish processing.

Abstract The environmental impacts caused by fish farming can lead to changes in aquatic ecosystems, especially in fish communities. In this study, we investigated possible changes in water quality, in the number of species and individuals of the same species caused by the construction of fish nurseries in dammed Amazonian streams. For this purpose, four streams located in the municipalities of Novo Airão and Presidente Figueiredo were selected. Samples were collected in streams without fish farming and in streams with stretches used for fish farming, where collections took place both downstream and upstream. The fish were captured, identified, quantified and the water was collected for physical and chemical analyses, in addition to the environmental characterization that was carried out. Comparisons were made using fish richness and abundance indices between the sampled points and correspondence analysis of the species identified at the collection sites, using the Mantel test and principal component analysis (PCA) for the environmental characteristics of the water and variables physical and chemical, and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) to verify the possible effects of species composition on the sampled conditions and on the analyzed environmental variables. In total, 2,302 fish belonging to 53 species, 15 families and six orders were found. We conclude that the Amazonian streams dammed for fish farming, under the analyzed conditions, can be characterized as environments with different and specific levels of richness and abundance, however, the data set analyzed in this study did not show that these characteristics are directly related to productive activity. We recommend that further studies be carried out following the current research.

Abstract The tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) is a fish of primary importance in South American aquaculture, principally in the Amazon region and has a particularly unique diet in the wild. Oryza spp, or Wild rice as it is commonly known, is native to the floodplains of muddy rivers in the Amazon region. The aim of this study was to analyze the physical performance and the effects of dietary levels of Oryza spp. via the hematological parameters, total food intake, conversion efficiency, growth ratio and swimming performance of this fish. Diets containing 45% Oryza spp. induced the best performance in tambaqui. Diets containing 15% and 30% did not affect these indices, thus indicating that this amount of Oryza can be used as an alternative energy source for this important species within Brazilian aquaculture.

Abstract The Negro river basin is considered the largest area of extractive of ornamental fish in Brazil. This area has fundamental importance for the populations from the Amazon. The present study aimed to describe socioeconomic profile of ornamental fishermen known as “piabeiros” in the Municipality of Barcelos, as well as the ornamental fishery, fisheries area, target species, environments, fishing techniques, equipment, capture techniques and main difficulties faced by the current activity. This study was carried out in municipality of Barcelos, through semi - structured interviews, with artisanal ornamental fishermen (N= 89). The main families of ornamental fish caught and traded were: Characidae, Lebiasinidae, Gasteropelecidae, Cichilidae, Anostomidae, Loricaridae, Potamotrygonidae and Gymnotidae. The main catchment areas were igarapés, lakes, flooded fields, beaches, river banks and igapó forest. Rapiché was the most used equipment in the fisheries both by the fishermen of the urban areas (43.81%) and rural (41.89%). Most of the fishermen are associated with the colony of fishermen of Barcelos (Z33). The data showed that the dynamics of ornamental fishing have changed in a short time and directly affected fishermen, in addition to the low age renewal with the participation of younger fishermen, threatening the transmission of ecological knowledge to future generations. As a result, the increase of the problems related to the productive chain and absence of public power to the activity, since ornamental fishing has already been treated as one of the main economic activities more important for the local communities and for the State of Amazonas.

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the properties of garlic as a growth promoter in larvae of angelfish Pterophyllum scalare and its benefits during transport of juveniles of this species. The experiment was conducted in recirculation aquaculture system, consisting of 20 tanks of 40 L equipped with independent water input and output. We used 1,400 larvae distributed among five treatments, with four repetitions, which totaled 20 experimental units. The treatments were 0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg of garlic extract per kilo of feed. The results showed that the inclusion of levels of garlic extract in the feed did not significantly effect the fish’s development or their transport. Neither did the inclusion of levels of garlic extract affect the survival of the larvae during the trial period. New research with extracts of higher dosages should be performed to elucidate the effect of garlic extract as a growth promoter.

Abstract The present study objectified to evaluate the trophic relationships and the possible aggressive mimicry involving Carnegiella strigata, Carnegiella marthae and Gnathocharax steindachneri, in lowland forest streams. Samplings occurred in November 2002, March and August 2003 in Amanã Sustainable Development Reserve (ASDR). The total of 943 fish was caught, being 79.43% of C. marthae, 3.18% of C. strigata and 17.39% of G. steindachneri. Stomach contents, degree of stomach repletion, relative volume and frequency of occurrence of food items were evaluated. Thirteen food items were identified, and the presence of terrestrial and aquatic insects indicates the high dependence of these species and the flooded forest. Low feeding overlap was observed between Carnegiella strigata and C. marthae compared to Gnathocharax steindachneri. However, the overlap between the two Carnegiella species was relatively high, which could explain the low frequency of syntopic occurrence among these species, suggesting a possible case of competitive exclusion.

Abstract Three experiments were done with different particle sizes of corn feed on its zootechnical performance, passing rate and apparent digestibility of juvenile tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum). In the first, 200 juveniles were used and distributed in 20 tanks (220 L), 10 fish per unit (four replicates). The experimental system used to record passage time was composed of five incubators with 200 L. In the second, 75 juveniles were used per 55 days (three replications). In the third, 75 juveniles were used and distributed in five incubators of 200 L. All experiments were performed randomly. Different linear behavior treatments were observed for apparent digestibility of crude protein; and the smaller particle size (150 μm) had better results digestibility. smaller particle size of the corn had better results, affected the growth performance of tambaqui and the apparent digestibility of crude protein and ether extract. Thus, is recommended that a particle size of 150 μm of corn be used for tambaqui.

Personalized gamification aims to address shortcomings of the one-size-fits-all (OSFA) approach in improving students' motivations throughout the learning process. However, studies still focus on personalizing to a single user dimension, ignoring multiple individual and contextual factors that affect user motivation. Unlike prior research, we address this issue by exploring multidimensional personalization compared to OSFA based on a multi-institution sample. Thus, we conducted a controlled experiment in three institutions, comparing gamification designs ("OSFA" and "Personalized" to the learning task and users' gaming habits/preferences and demographics) in terms of 58 students' motivations to complete assessments for learning. Our results suggest no significant differences among OSFA and Personalized designs, despite suggesting user motivation depended on fewer user characteristics when using personalization. Additionally, exploratory analyses suggest personalization was positive for females and those holding a technical degree, but negative for those who prefer adventure games and those who prefer single-playing. Our contribution benefits designers, suggesting how personalization works; practitioners, demonstrating to whom the personalization strategy was more or less suitable; and researchers, providing future research directions.

Abstract The physiological responses of juvenile tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) fed commercial feed supplemented with different concentrations of camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) were evaluated. The design was completely randomized, with treatments arranged in a factorial design with three proportions of camu camu (15%, 30% and 45%) and a control treatment (100% commercial diet), with four replicates per treatment. A total of 96 tambaqui specimens were used, with a mean initial weight of 11.69 ± 2.68 g and a mean length of 7.06 ± 0.44 cm. After 30 days, hematological parameters, metabolic variables, growth and fish swimming performance were evaluated. The different proportions of camu camu in the diet did not cause significant changes to the tambaqui's hematological parameters during the feeding period, except for hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) after the 30th day, and hematocrit (Ht) after the swimming stress test, which increased significantly (p < 0.05). The significant increases in metabolic variables, such as cortisol, glucose, proteins and triglycerides, and in hematologic variables after the Ucrit test reflect, respectively, biochemical adaptations for maintenance of the energy mobilization process and a regulatory necessity in tissue oxygen demand during intense exercise. Fish fed 15% and 30% camu camu gained the most weight and achieved the best swimming performance, respectively. The results for camu camu concentrations above 30% suggest a saturation of its intrinsic properties in the diet at this level and a loss of nutrients from the commercial feed replaced by the fruit, reducing productive performance and nutritional assimilation.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) evolved from promotion of Eurasian connectivity into a catchall for Chinese foreign policy and infrastructure investments worldwide. Although usually portrayed as a top-down geopolitical project of the Chinese central government, this article argues the BRI is actually shaped by converging and diverging interests of a wide variety of actors within and outside China. In order to conceptualize the relational, contingent, and unstable emergence of the BRI in Latin America, the article emphasizes the process of co-production as a theoretical framework. It first analyzes how the BRI incorporated Latin America through policy and discourse analysis, then examines the multi-scalar and multi-sited co-production of Chinese-funded port and railroad infrastructures through interviews and public documents in Brazil.

The conjunction of climate, food, and financial crises in the late 2000s triggered renewed interest in farmland and agribusiness investments around the world. This phenomenon became known as the ‘global land grab' and sparked debates among social movements, NGOs, academics, government and international development agencies worldwide. In this introduction, we critically analyse the ‘state of the literature' so far, and outline four areas that are moving the debate ‘beyond land grabs'. These include: (1) the role of contract farming and differentiation among farm workers in the consolidation of farmland; (2) the broader forms of dispossession and mechanisms of control and value grabbing beyond ‘classic’ land grabs for agricultural production; (3) discourses about, and responses to, Chinese agribusiness investments abroad; and (4) the relationship between financialization and land grabbing. Ultimately, we propose new directions to deepen and even transform the research agenda on land struggles and agroindustrial restructuring around the world.

My purpose in this paper is to deepen the literature on Chinese foreign investments (particularly in Brazilian agribusiness), and the formation of a transnational capitalist class, by utilizing practices of global ethnography and the conceptual apparatus of ‘assemblages’ emerging in human geography. I trace the genealogy of the Chinese-owned Brazilian company BBCA Brazil and its agroindustrial project in Mato Grosso do Sul state, since it is illustrative of the conditions of possibility for Chinese direct investments in agribusiness in Brazil and Brazil–China agroindustrial partnerships more generally. I argue the central characters of this story aptly illustrate the transnational class of boosters, brokers, bureaucrats and businessmen who rise by assembling Chinese capital with Brazilian (agri)business expertise, labour and land. It is the particular work of assemblage and set of skills of these characters, especially those operating at the ‘middle levels’ of state and corporate governance, that both enables the successful implementation of transnational investments, and also explains why such projects propel them while marginalizing others, increasing social inequality, and aggravating environmental degradation.

In 2004, Brazilian soybean cooperatives in Rio Grande do Sul state and the Chinese state-owned agroindustrial commodity trading company Chinatex orchestrated the first direct soybean shipments between both countries. By that moment, China had flipped from a net soybean exporter in the previous decade to the world’s leading importer of this commodity, and Brazilian exports were mushrooming to attend this demand. However, powerful trading corporations from the US and western Europe dominated this international trade. Thus, the attempt to establish direct shipments between Brazilian producers to China was integral to efforts by agribusinesses in these emerging economies to wrest control over the profits and flows of this burgeoning and strategic sector. However, this first partnership for direct soybean trade became embroiled in a convoluted crisis involving the legalization of transgenic soybeans in Brazil, widespread contamination of shipments with pesticide-covered seeds, record volatility in soybean prices, and the ensuing collapse and foreign take-over of the Chinese soybean trade and processing industry—dubbed the “Battle of the Beans” in Chinese media. Drawing on extended interviews with the key protagonists of this decisive moment in the restructuring of international agribusiness markets, I describe how direct Brazil-China soybean trade was spectacularly stillborn, consolidating the oligopoly of agribusiness trading companies from the Global North over international soybean markets for another decade. I argue this particular moment was one of the most important events in the construction of the new geography of Brazil-China relations, and we can only understand how its specific convergences and divergences emerged through grounded, transnational, and ethnographically-nuanced analysis. Thus, my investigation provides unprecedented insight into the political and economic conjuncture in which South-South cooperation is pursued between China and its largest commercial partner in Latin America, even while it reproduces agroindustrial production and trade relations that benefit transnational elites at the expense of the majority of peasants, workers, and the environment in both China and Latin America.

Chinese companies were singled out among major investors seeking farmland in Brazil, but my own and other emerging research reveals that China still lags far behind investors from the Global North, and there is evidence that the differences between them are far less significant than was presumed. Why then have Chinese agribusinesses been singled out, even as the size and amount of their investments in Brazil–particularly when compared with those form the US, EU, Argentina, and Japan–are in fact relatively small? Who are the actors in Brazil that have contributed to this apparent sinophobia, and who has challenged it? Who benefits? And how have Chinese investments themselves been affected by this disproportionate negative attention? I argue that challenges to national and food sovereignty arise, ultimately, from the transnational soybean production system regardless of the national character of any particular companies or their cross-border relations.

Soybean plays a major role in the development of Brazilian agribusiness, and in turn in Brazilian geopolitical power as well. It is a pillar of Brazil's insertion into a ‘new multi-polar world order’ as basis for much Brazilian land ownership in neighboring countries, for the extension of political influence in Africa, and it is especially important for balancing trade with Brazil's new primary commercial partner, China. Yet the US dollar and North Atlantic transnational companies still control global soybean markets and production technologies. In a context marked by booming but volatile commodity prices, food crises, riots and revolutions in food-importing countries, a global rush for farmland, and severe droughts and climate change, the soybean agribusiness in Brazil takes on new and crucial geopolitical significance. I trace the geopolitical role it has served in consolidating the ‘green revolution’ in Brazil, and raise questions about the intersection between agroindustrial markets and currencies: could agricultural commodities serve geopolitical functions (and thus contestation) similar to those ‘petro-dollars’ have served since the 1970s? These considerations show how the political ecology of soybean shapes and is shaped by inter-regional and global-scale processes, and reveals new directions for research on the emerging geopolitical landscape of our century.

The political geography of the global soybean complex is shifting. While the complex has long been controlled by US-based transnational corporations, new agribusiness actors, business logics and power relations rooted in South America and East Asia are emerging, based in part on commodity flexing. We explore how soybean flexing is shaping and being shaped by global restructuring of the soybean processing industry. Using the divergent histories and uses of soy in China and Brazil, we propose that in order to understand the changing soy landscape, we must examine the relationships between soy's multiple-ness and flexible-ness, the political economy of soy processing, and the relationships between crop ‘flexors’ – those powerful firms that control the soy complex – with each other and with governments. We demonstrate that the agribusiness actors who are gaining more control over the soy complex are doing so in part through flexing, and that the ability to flex may ultimately determine the trajectory of global agroindustrial restructuring. Finally, we raise questions and make suggestions for further research on flex crops.