ESTHER: A “R Package” Implementing a Novel Approach to Bidimen-sional Display of Multidimensional Binary Data

ABSTRACT

The R package ESTHER implements two novel algorithms designed to dispose in a reduced space multidimensional objects defined by binary descriptors. The approach is to assign discrete and fix positions to all possible combinations obtained with the descriptors employed. One of the two algorithms, called clock, position objects on a circle at regular intervals, whereas the other, star, maintains the angular position as in clock, but defines the distance of the object from the center of the circle proportionally to the number of descriptor in state”1”. Comparisons with Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) showed that the three methods perform differently according to the number of objects and descriptors and to the distance method employed to carry out the PCoA. The algorithm clock produced the best object clustering in a validation carried out with a matrix generated by molecular fingerprint of yeast isolates.