In current videogames non-player characters’ (NPCs’) abilities to be active, dynamic agents are typically constrained to a bare minimum. Agents have very local behaviours to deal with actions, which can combine in limited ways with global game mechanics to deal with repeated behaviours. Here we present a systems-AI approach to designing NPCs. The proposed NPC design is capable of dynamic dialog...

Neural precursor cells (NPCs) in the mammalian olfactory bulb give rise to local inhibitory neurons that integrate into existing circuitry throughout adult life. However, the functional properties of neurotransmitter receptors expressed by NPCs are not well understood. In this study, we use patch-clamp recording and calcium imaging to explore the properties of glutamate receptors expressed by N...

Caspases are well-known enzymes that work as initiators and effectors of apoptosis. To elucidate the role of caspases in neurodevelopment, we sought to determine if caspases are involved in the proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) in the developing mouse brain. Labeling with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) from days 14 to 18 of pregnant mice revealed that the 18-d old fetus had m...

Nonlinear photonic crystals (NPCs) with spatially modulated second-order nonlinear coefficients are indispensable in optics and modern photonics. To access full degrees of freedom the generation control coherent light at new frequencies, three dimensional (3D) NPCs have been recently fabricated employing femtosecond laser writing technique ferroelectric crystals. However, interaction efficienci...

Neural precursor cells (NPCs) have the ability to self-renew and to give rise to neuronal and glial lineages. The fate decision of NPCs between proliferation and differentiation determines the number of differentiated cells and the size of each region of the brain. However, the signals that regulate the timing of neuronal differentiation remain unclear. Here, we show that Wnt signaling inhibits...

Bulk nuclear export of messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) is mediated by NXF1. It binds mRNPs through adaptor proteins such as ALY and SR splicing factors and mediates translocation through the central NPC transport channel via transient interactions with FG nucleoporins. Here, we show that mammalian cells require GANP (germinal center-associated nuclear ...

Adult neural precursor cells (NPCs) respond to injury or disease of the CNS by migrating to the site of damage or differentiating locally to replace lost cells. Factors that mediate this injury induced NPC response include chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interferon-γ (IFNγ), which we have shown previously promotes neuronal differentiation. R...

Recent evidence suggests that neural stem/precursor cells (NPCs) promote recovery in animal models with delayed neuronal death via a number of indirect bystander effects. A comprehensive knowledge of how transplanted NPCs exert their therapeutic effects is still lacking. Here, we investigated the effects of a delayed transplantation of adult syngenic NPCs--injected intravenously 72 h after tran...

The intermediate filament (IF) protein nestin is a widely accepted molecular marker for neural progenitor cells (NPCs), but its function during neurogenesis remains largely unknown. We found that in embryonic cortical NPCs down-regulation of the expression of nestin, but not its co-polymer IF protein vimentin, resulted in a G1 cell-cycle arrest and a severe reduction in the generation of neuron...

OBJECTIVES Kidney disease is emerging as a critical medical problem worldwide. Because of limited treatment options for the damaged kidney, stem cell treatment is becoming an alternative therapeutic approach. Of many possible human stem cell sources, pluripotent stem cells are most attractive due to their self-renewal and pluripotent capacity. However, little is known about the derivation of re...