Matrix Operations and Bioinformatics Insights: Week 6

This week, I worked on an assignment focused on using R for matrix operations and did some bioinformatics practice related to CDR3 sequences. Here's a simple breakdown of what I did and my takeaways.

What I Did This Week

Adding and Subtracting Matrices
I started by creating two matrices, and then added and subtracted them using R. Here's the code I used:

This code performs basic matrix operations, and it was a good way to understand how matrix math works in R.

Building a Diagonal Matrix

Next, I used the diag() function to create a matrix with specific values on the diagonal. The code looked like this:

Creating a Custom Matrix

I then built a matrix with specific values in the rows and columns > diag(3,5). Here's how I did it:

This code sets up the matrix with a diagonal of 3 and modifies the first row and column. It was a fun challenge that helped me see how to control matrix structure using R’s indexing features.

Bioinformatics Practice: Comparing CDR3 Sequences

I also practiced comparing CDR3 sequences using R. I analyzed the VDJ recoveries dataset and compared it to the VDJdb to find common CDR3 sequences. Here’s how I did it:

This code helped me find and analyze CDR3 sequence matches. I got more comfortable using the dplyr package and learned how to manipulate data frames to get meaningful information.

What I Learned

Matrix Math Basics: Adding and subtracting matrices in R gave me confidence in understanding and using basic matrix operations.
Using R Functions: Practicing with the diag() function and learning how to create different matrix structures was useful.
Bioinformatics Analysis: Comparing CDR3 sequences using R allowed me to apply my coding skills to a bioinformatics problem. It was exciting to see how the data matched up and how the R code can be used to gain insights.
Debugging and Writing Code: Throughout the assignment and the CDR3 analysis, I encountered and fixed small errors. This experience was valuable for building my coding skills and learning to troubleshoot in R.

Overall, this week was a mix of practicing basic matrix operations and applying my skills to bioinformatics. I feel more confident using R and am excited to keep exploring data analysis in bioinformatics as I progress!

For a more detailed exploration of the data manipulation techniques and code examples, you can find everything in my GitHub repository.

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