This paper describes the KomParse system, a natural-language dialog system in the three-dimensional virtual world Twinity. In order to fulfill the various communication demands between nonplayer characters (NPCs) and users in such an online virtual world, the system realizes a flexible and hybrid approach combining knowledge-intensive domainspecific question answering, task-specific and domain-...

Non-player characters (NPCs) provide an important service in video games in that they provide an active connection to the narrative through their behavior, as if they were actors in a play. In this study, we aim to explore in what ways the visual appearance of an NPC affects how players perceive their role in the game, and what criteria players use to evaluate the role of NPCs based on visual i...

BACKGROUND Research into attitudes about chiropractors who are no longer engaged in active clinical practice is non-existent. Yet non-practicing chiropractors (NPCs) represent a valid sub-group worthy of study. AIM The purpose of this research was to assess attrition attitudes of NPCs about the chiropractic profession and develop a scale to assess such attitudes. METHODS A 48 item survey wa...

OBJECTIVE Transplanted neural stem/precursor cells (NPCs) display peculiar therapeutic plasticity in vivo. Although the replacement of cells was first expected as the prime therapeutic mechanism of stem cells in regenerative medicine, it is now clear that transplanted NPCs simultaneously instruct several therapeutic mechanisms, among which replacement of cells might not necessarily prevail. A c...

Neural precursor cells (NPCs) differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in response to intrinsic and extrinsic changes. Notch signals maintain undifferentiated NPCs, but the mechanisms underlying the neuronal differentiation are largely unknown. We show that SIRT1, an NAD(+)-dependent histone deacetylase, modulates neuronal differentiation. SIRT1 was found in the cytoplasm of...

Thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4) is an actin-binding peptide whose expression in developing brain correlates with migration and neurite extension of neurons. Here, we studied the effects of the downregulation of Tbeta4 expression on growth and differentiation of murine neural progenitor cells (NPCs), using an antisense lentiviral vector. In differentiation-promoting medium, we found twice the number of ...

The nuclear pore complex (NPC), a gateway for nucleocytoplasmic trafficking, is composed of ∼30 different proteins called nucleoporins. It remains unknown whether the NPCs within a species are homogeneous or vary depending on the cell type or physiological condition. Here, we present evidence for compositionally distinct NPCs that form within a single cell in a binucleated ciliate. In Tetrahyme...

Objective Excessive apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) induced by various stresses, including compression, contributes to the development of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can benefit the regeneration of NPCs and delay IVDD, but the underlying molecular mechanism is poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the antiapoptosis effects of bone ...

Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) encodes the catalytic subunit of γ-secretase, and PSEN1 mutations are the most common cause of early onset familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). In order to elucidate pathways downstream of PSEN1, we characterized neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from FAD mutant PSEN1 subjects. Thus, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from affected and unaffected indivi...