A method is proposed for semiparametric estimation where parametric and nonparametric criteria are exploited in density estimation and unsupervised learning. This is accomplished by making sampling assumptions on a dataset that smoothly interpolate between the extreme of independently distributed (or id) sample data (as in nonparametric kernel density estimators) to the extreme of independent i...

OBJECTIVE Although many methods for pain assessment in newborns are available, none of them are widely accepted. Our aim was to answer the question: do newborns respond similarly to different painful procedures? METHODS Sixty term newborns were involved in non-randomized prospective study. They were classified into 2 groups: Group A (n=30) who needed intubation and Group B (n=30) who necessit...

BACKGROUND Social interaction depends on a multitude of signals carrying information about the emotional state of others. But the relative importance of facial and bodily signals is still poorly understood. Past research has focused on the perception of facial expressions while perception of whole body signals has only been studied recently. In order to better understand the relative contributi...

Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were trained to order visual arrays based on their number of elements and to conditionally choose the array with the larger or smaller number of elements dependent on a color cue. When the screen background was red, monkeys were reinforced for choosing the smaller numerical value first. When the screen background was blue, monkeys were reinforced for choosing the larger...

INTRODUCTION Cultural, socio-demographic and environmental factors such as tropical climate and exposure to sun could have an impact on the incidence or clinical course of psoriasis. Here we describe the main clinical aspects of psoriasis in Brazilian patients and also investigate whether any particular feature can distinguish the disease occurring in Brazil from that occurring in other countri...

Grapheme-color synesthesia is a neurological condition in which viewing numbers or letters (graphemes) results in the concurrent sensation of color. While the anatomical substrates underlying this experience are well understood, little research to date has investigated factors influencing the particular colors associated with particular graphemes or how synesthesia occurs developmentally. A rec...

ABSTRACT Methane concentrations in Kano municipality have been attributed to the burning of solid and fossil fuels and industrial processes. Using an automatic gas sampling system, methane in the Kano atmosphere was determined. Its distribution in the municipality was skewed towards high frequency of low concentration with a mean and standard deviation of 0.61? 0.39 ?g/m3. Similarly the distri...