Brane Decay from the Origin of Time
  We present a novel scenario where matter in a spacetime originates from a decaying brane at the origin of time. The decay could be considered as a ``Big Bang''-like event at X^0=0. The closed string interpretation is a time-dependent spacetime with a semi-infinite time direction, with the initial energy of the brane converted into energy flux from the origin. The open string interpretation can be viewed as a string theoretic non-singular initial condition. 
Shinsuke Kawai, Esko Keski-Vakkuri, Robert G. Leigh and Sean Nowling