On First Order Formalism in String Theory

We consider the first order formalism in string theory, providing a new off-shell description of the nontrivial backgrounds around an "infinite metric". The OPE of the vertex operators, corresponding to the background fields in some "twistor representation", and conditions of conformal invariance results in the quadratic equation for the background fields, which appears to be equivalent to the Einstein equations with a Kalb-Ramond B-field and a dilaton. Using a new representation for the Einstein equations with B-field and dilaton we find a new class of solutions including the plane waves for metric (graviton) and the B-field. We discuss the properties of these background equations and main features of the BRST operator in this approach.Comment: LaTeX2e, 18 pages, Phys. Lett. B, in press, corrected typo

(SL(N),q)(SL(N),q)-opers, the qq-Langlands correspondence, and quantum/classical duality

A special case of the geometric Langlands correspondence is given by the relationship between solutions of the Bethe ansatz equations for the Gaudin model and opers - connections on the projective line with extra structure. In this paper, we describe a deformation of this correspondence for $SL(N)$. We introduce a difference equation version of opers called $q$-opers and prove a $q$-Langlands correspondence between nondegenerate solutions of the Bethe ansatz equations for the XXZ model and nondegenerate twisted $q$-opers with regular singularities on the projective line. We show that the quantum/classical duality between the XXZ spin chain and the trigonometric Ruijsenaars-Schneider model may be viewed as a special case of the $q$-Langlands correspondence. We also describe an application of $q$-opers to the equivariant quantum $K$-theory of the cotangent bundles to partial flag varieties.Comment: v3: 32 pages, 2 figures; minor revisions, to appear in Commun. Math. Phy

Medication Use in Pregnant Women with Chronic Medical Conditions

Dr. Deborah Zeitlin addresses medication options for pregnant women with chronic conditions such as: hypertension, asthma, diabetes, and depression. Risks of medication use to the fetus are addressed

Do Antibiotics Improve Outcomes for Patients Hospitalized with COPD Exacerbations?

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER YES. Antibiotic use reduced mortality and treatment failure in patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Giving antibiotics early to hospitalized patients decreased the need for later ventilation and readmission within 30 days for exacerbation of COPD (SOR: B, a retrospective cohort study)

Opers on the projective line, Wronskian relations, and the Bethe Ansatz

It is well-known that the spectra of the Gaudin model may be described in terms of solutions of the Bethe Ansatz equations. A conceptual explanation for the appearance of the Bethe Ansatz equations is provided by appropriate $G$-opers: $G$-connections on the projective line with extra structure. In fact, solutions of the Bethe Ansatz equations are parameterized by an enhanced version of opers called Miura opers; here, the opers appearing have only regular singularities. Feigin, Frenkel, Rybnikov, and Toledano Laredo have introduced an inhomogeneous version of the Gaudin model; this model incorporates an additional twist factor, which is an element of the Lie algebra of $G$. They exhibited the Bethe Ansatz equations for this model and gave a geometric interpretation of the spectra in terms of opers with an irregular singularity. In this paper, we consider a new approach to the study of the spectra of the inhomogeneous Gaudin model in terms of a further enhancement of opers called twisted Miura-Pl\"ucker opers and a certain system of nonlinear differential equations called the $qq$-system. We show that there is a close relationship between solutions of the inhomogeneous Bethe Ansatz equations and polynomial solutions of the $qq$-system and use this fact to construct a bijection between the set of solutions of the inhomogeneous Bethe Ansatz equations and the set of nondegenerate twisted Miura-Pl\"ucker opers. We further prove that as long as certain combinatorial conditions are satisfied, nondegenerate twisted Miura-Pl\"ucker opers are in fact Miura opers.Comment: 38 pages, revised versio

SFT-inspired Algebraic Structures in Gauge Theories

We consider gauge theories in a String Field Theory-inspired formalism. The constructed algebraic operations lead in particular to homotopy algebras of the related BV theories. We discuss invariant description of the gauge fixing procedure and special algebraic features of gauge theories coupled to matter fields.Comment: LaTeX2e, 26 pages; minor revisions after referee's remarks, typos corrected, title changed, references added, J. Mathematical Physics, in pres

A Series of N-terminal Epitope Tagged Hdh Knock-In Alleles Expressing Normal and Mutant Huntingtin: Their Application to Understanding the Effect of Increasing the Length of Normal Huntingtin’s Polyglutamine Stretch on CAG140 Mouse Model Pathogenesis

Background: Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease that is caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) stretch within Huntingtin (htt), the protein product of the HD gene. Although studies in vitro have suggested that the mutant htt can act in a potentially dominant negative fashion by sequestering wild-type htt into insoluble protein aggregates, the role of the length of the normal htt polyQ stretch, and the adjacent proline-rich region (PRR) in modulating HD mouse model pathogenesis is currently unknown. Results: We describe the generation and characterization of a series of knock-in HD mouse models that express versions of the mouse HD gene (Hdh) encoding N-terminal hemaglutinin (HA) or 3xFlag epitope tagged full-length htt with different polyQ lengths (HA7Q-, 3xFlag7Q-, 3xFlag20Q-, and 3xFlag140Q-htt) and substitution of the adjacent mouse PRR with the human PRR (3xFlag20Q- and 3xFlag140Q-htt). Using co-immunoprecipitation and immunohistochemistry analyses, we detect no significant interaction between soluble full-length normal 7Q- htt and mutant (140Q) htt, but we do observe N-terminal fragments of epitope-tagged normal htt in mutant htt aggregates. When the sequences encoding normal mouse htt’s polyQ stretch and PRR are replaced with non-pathogenic human sequence in mice also expressing 140Q-htt, aggregation foci within the striatum, and the mean size of htt inclusions are increased, along with an increase in striatal lipofuscin and gliosis. Conclusion: In mice, soluble full-length normal and mutant htt are predominantly monomeric. In heterozygous knock-in HD mouse models, substituting the normal mouse polyQ and PRR with normal human sequence can exacerbate some neuropathological phenotypes