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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
Published on: March 1, 2022
Maximum-likelihood estimation of the statistical distribution of Smith-Waterman local sequence similarity scores
1Laboratory of Mathematical Biology, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, NW7 1AA, London, U.K., r-mott@uk.ac.mrc.nimr.
Abstract:
A method is described for estimating the distribution and hence testing the statistical significance of sequence similarity scores obtained during a data-bank search. Maximum-likelihood is used to fit a model to the scores, avoiding any costly simulation of random sequences. The method is applied in detail to the Smith-Waterman algorithm when gaps are allowed, and is shown to give results very similar to those obtained by simulation.
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