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n1qn1c vs TwoSampleMR

A side-by-side editorial comparison of n1qn1c and TwoSampleMR — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

n1qn1c vs TwoSampleMR: at a glance

Featuren1qn1cTwoSampleMR
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesnumerical-optimization, quasi-newton, thread-safety, memory-safetymendelian-randomization, genetic-epidemiology, correctness-fixes, opengwas
Last editorial update1h ago2h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is n1qn1c?

A Fortran-descended optimizer got thread-safe, then found two flags that never worked.

n1qn1c is a quasi-Newton optimization routine translated from Fortran to C, used as a solver backend by the nlmixr2 modeling stack rather than called directly by most users. Its two 2026 releases are a concentrated safety pass: global state converted to thread_local, static removed from local variables in the translated code, integer overflow guards added, and memory leaks closed in the R callback wrappers — plus the gcc-asan and valgrind fixes CRAN asked for.

Read the full n1qn1c trajectory →

What is TwoSampleMR?

The flagship Mendelian randomization package is auditing its own estimators, one bootstrap at a time.

TwoSampleMR is the MRC-IEU package for two-sample Mendelian randomization against OpenGWAS. Its 2026 releases are a sustained correctness review rather than feature work: 0.7.9 fixed bootstrap standard errors in mr_mode() and mr_rucker_bootstrap() that had been inflated since v0.6.30, and repaired two Rucker functions that were returning malformed objects. Point estimates were not affected by the bootstrap bug.

Read the full TwoSampleMR trajectory →

n1qn1c vs TwoSampleMR: editorial side-by-side

N
n1qn1c
ANALYTICS
0.0

A Fortran-descended optimizer got thread-safe, then found two flags that never worked.

◆ Current state

n1qn1c is a quasi-Newton optimization routine translated from Fortran to C, used as a solver backend by the nlmixr2 modeling stack rather than called directly by most users. Its two 2026 releases are a concentrated safety pass: global state converted to thread_local, static removed from local variables in the translated code, integer overflow guards added, and memory leaks closed in the R callback wrappers — plus the gcc-asan and valgrind fixes CRAN asked for.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is being hardened for use inside a parallel modeling framework rather than extended. The audit that produced the thread-safety work also surfaced two plain bugs in features users would have assumed worked: restart = TRUE left the mode at 2 instead of 3 because of a typo, and assign = TRUE referenced the wrong field name so the compressed Hessian was never written to the supplied environment. Earlier work points the same direction — the 6.0.1-12 function-pointer interface exists so nlmixr2est does not need resubmission when this package changes.

◆ Prediction

Expect further memory-safety and sanitizer work rather than algorithmic change; a Fortran-translated numerical core under CRAN's checking regime generates that kind of release indefinitely.

T
TwoSampleMR
ANALYTICS
0.0

The flagship Mendelian randomization package is auditing its own estimators, one bootstrap at a time.

◆ Current state

TwoSampleMR is the MRC-IEU package for two-sample Mendelian randomization against OpenGWAS. Its 2026 releases are a sustained correctness review rather than feature work: 0.7.9 fixed bootstrap standard errors in mr_mode() and mr_rucker_bootstrap() that had been inflated since v0.6.30, and repaired two Rucker functions that were returning malformed objects. Point estimates were not affected by the bootstrap bug.

◆ Where it's heading

The pattern across these releases is a package being read line by line — a copy-paste weight vector in ldsc_rg(), chunking that produced zero splits for short SNP lists, penalisation recycled across the wrong SNPs, dead code paths removed, and regression tests added behind each fix. Alongside it runs a mechanical modernization pass: seq_len() for loop indices, tidyr in place of reshape2, current ggplot2 idioms, and the OpenGWAS URL migration. Feature work is limited to forest plot presentation.

◆ Prediction

Expect the audit to continue through the remaining bootstrap and jackknife routines, with releases staying in the 0.7.x patch range and each fix arriving with its own regression test.

Alternatives to n1qn1c and TwoSampleMR

Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either n1qn1c or TwoSampleMR.

See all n1qn1c alternatives → · See all TwoSampleMR alternatives →

Recent activity from n1qn1c and TwoSampleMR

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1mo agoTwoSampleMRBootstrap standard errors corrected in mode and Rucker estimators
  2. 2mo agoTwoSampleMRWrong weight vector and chunking fixes across the estimator set
  3. 2mo agoTwoSampleMRDeprecated ggplot2 idioms and dead code removed
  4. 3mo agoTwoSampleMROpenGWAS URLs migrated and Wald ratio warnings quieted
  5. 4mo agon1qn1crestart and assign flags fixed; sanitizer issues cleared
  6. 4mo agon1qn1cGlobal state converted to thread_local
  7. 4mo agoTwoSampleMRCategorized forest plots aligned with the published figures
  8. 4mo agoTwoSampleMRFurther internal code optimizations
  9. 1y agon1qn1cFunction-pointer API decouples nlmixr2est releases

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between n1qn1c and TwoSampleMR?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. n1qn1c and TwoSampleMR are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is n1qn1c better than TwoSampleMR?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. n1qn1c and TwoSampleMR are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to n1qn1c?

Top n1qn1c alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "n1qn1c alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/n1qn1c for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to TwoSampleMR?

Top TwoSampleMR alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "TwoSampleMR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/twosamplemr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.