title: Multivariate analysis.
abstract: One of the goals of Current Protocols is to provide information from the very basic level to the very advanced. This unit is an excellent example of providing explanation and application for a complex area. Building upon several other units on data analysis, it provides a detailed explanation of how multivariate analytical techniques are applied to flow cytometry data. The unit deals with the covariance matrix, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis and provides sources for software as well as example data files. This material will be particularly valuable to the graduate student trying to obtain a good understanding of statistical methods in flow cytometry, as well as to the experienced investigator who uses these tools on a regular basis without really understanding how they operate.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  principal components analysis; cluster analysis; FCS file format One of the goals of Current Protocols is to provide information from the very basic level to the very advanced.
authors.affiliation: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Boland
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D003201:Computers; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011381:Programming Languages; D012984:Software