Publications by authors named "W J C Swinkels"

To date, the eel industry still depends on wild-caught juveniles that are grown to marketable size. There is an urgent need to close the eel life cycle in captivity to make aquaculture independent of the natural population. With this artificial reproduction protocol, yolk-sac larvae can be produced but egg quality may be impaired.

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Ovulation in European eel is induced by injection of 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP) as the maturation-inducing hormone (MIH). Female eels need to ovulate within 18 h after injection to release good quality eggs. Progesterone (P), as an upstream precursor of DHP, may promote endogenous DHP production and improve egg quality.

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Article Synopsis
  • The assisted propagation of European eels aims to create a closed production cycle for the aquaculture industry, reducing reliance on wild populations.
  • Long-term weekly treatments with pituitary extract cause stress and abnormal development in female eels, prompting research into the effects of 17α-methyltestosterone (17 MT) and 17β-estradiol (E2) to potentially lessen this treatment.
  • Results show that both hormones improved various growth parameters in eels, with the combination of 17 MT and E2 yielding the most significant benefits, including reduced treatment duration and enhanced reproductive organ development.
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In eels, large variations in larval mortality exist, which would impede the viable production of juvenile glass eels in captivity. The transcriptome of European eel larvae was investigated to identify physiological pathways and genes that show differential regulation between non-viable vs. viable larvae.

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: Research proves that the apprenticeship model, which is the gold standard for training surgical residents, is obsolete. For that reason, there is a continuing effort toward the development of high-fidelity surgical simulators to replace the apprenticeship model. Applying Virtual Reality Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) in surgical simulators increases the fidelity, level of immersion and overall experience of these simulators.

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