Interpolation by polynomials with non-negative coefficients

We consider the problem of determining whether a polynomial of a given order and having only nonnegative coefficients can be found to interpolate a given set of positive data. This problem arises in the design of maximally robust integrating feedback controllers for linear discrete-time plants and is also relevant to the design of nonovershooting control systems. We present an algorithm for determining whether such a polynomial exists for given interpolation data

Regionalized Development and Maintenance of the Intestinal Adaptive Immune Landscape

The intestinal immune system has the daunting task of protecting us from pathogenic insults while limiting inflammatory responses against the resident commensal microbiota and providing tolerance to food antigens. This role is particularly impressive when one considers the vast mucosal surface and changing landscape that the intestinal immune system must monitor. In this review, we highlight regional differences in the development and composition of the adaptive immune landscape of the intestine and the impact of local intrinsic and environmental factors that shape this process. To conclude, we review the evidence for a critical window of opportunity for early-life exposures that affect immune development and alter disease susceptibility later in life

Murk and DeWan. Exhaustive genome-wide search for SNP-SNP interactions across ten human diseases. Supplemental File S-1.

<div>Cited as File S-1 in the following publication:</div><div><br></div><div>Murk W, DeWan AT. Exhaustive Genome-Wide Search for SNP-SNP Interactions Across Ten Human Diseases. G3 (Bethesda). 2016 May 16. pii: g3.116.028563. doi: 10.1534/g3.116.028563. PMID: 27185397</div

Exhaustive Genome-Wide Search for SNP-SNP Interactions Across 10 Human Diseases

The identification of statistical SNP-SNP interactions may help explain the genetic etiology of many human diseases, but exhaustive genome-wide searches for these interactions have been difficult, due to a lack of power in most datasets. We aimed to use data from the Resource for Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) study to search for SNP-SNP interactions associated with 10 common diseases. FastEpistasis and BOOST were used to evaluate all pairwise interactions among approximately N = 300,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with minor allele frequency (MAF) ≥ 0.15, for the dichotomous outcomes of allergic rhinitis, asthma, cardiac disease, depression, dermatophytosis, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hemorrhoids, hypertensive disease, and osteoarthritis. A total of N = 45,171 subjects were included after quality control steps were applied. These data were divided into discovery and replication subsets; the discovery subset had > 80% power, under selected models, to detect genome-wide significant interactions (P < 10−12). Interactions were also evaluated for enrichment in particular SNP features, including functionality, prior disease relevancy, and marginal effects. No interaction in any disease was significant in both the discovery and replication subsets. Enrichment analysis suggested that, for some outcomes, interactions involving SNPs with marginal effects were more likely to be nominally replicated, compared to interactions without marginal effects. If SNP-SNP interactions play a role in the etiology of the studied conditions, they likely have weak effect sizes, involve lower-frequency variants, and/or involve complex models of interaction that are not captured well by the methods that were utilized