Propensity For Errors Research Articles

The Law and Science of Eyewitness Evidence

Eyewitness testimony is heavily reliant on their memory and visual perception, both of which are highly prone to error. Eyewitness memory's propensity for error has long been shown in instances of wrongful conviction. Currently, decades of scientific studies on memory and visual perception have shown important error sources and strategies for enhancing eyewitness accuracy. Similar to a few other legal fields, eyewitness testimony that involves experimentation in the identification process lends itself to scientific study. Consequently, eyewitness testimony has evolved into a test bed for applying science to legal interpretation. This article looks at the responses given to this corpus of research by legal players, including state and federal courts, state legislators, and law enforcement organisations. Although decisions from the Supreme Court have established a constitutional floor, we discover that this largely does not inform first-hand evidence-based law. As we document in a comprehensive fifty-state survey of rulings, state courts have increasingly used eyewitness memory science to reduce misidentifications. In our second examination, we look at what more state legislators have accomplished by examining the twenty-four state statutes that govern the process of eyewitness identification. Third, law enforcement organisations have embraced updated identification procedures, notably through the adoption of a model policy by twenty-nine states.

Accurate leukocyte detection based on deformable-DETR and multi-level feature fusion for aiding diagnosis of blood diseases

In standard hospital blood tests, the traditional process requires doctors to manually isolate leukocytes from microscopic images of patients’ blood using microscopes. These isolated leukocytes are then categorized via automatic leukocyte classifiers to determine the proportion and volume of different types of leukocytes present in the blood samples, aiding disease diagnosis. This methodology is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it also has a high propensity for errors due to factors such as image quality and environmental conditions, which could potentially lead to incorrect subsequent classifications and misdiagnosis. Contemporary leukocyte detection methods exhibit limitations in dealing with images with fewer leukocyte features and the disparity in scale among different leukocytes, leading to unsatisfactory results in most instances. To address these issues, this paper proposes an innovative method of leukocyte detection: the Multi-level Feature Fusion and Deformable Self-attention DETR (MFDS-DETR). To tackle the issue of leukocyte scale disparity, we designed the High-level Screening-feature Fusion Pyramid (HS-FPN), enabling multi-level fusion. This model uses high-level features as weights to filter low-level feature information via a channel attention module and then merges the screened information with the high-level features, thus enhancing the model’s feature expression capability. Further, we address the issue of leukocyte feature scarcity by incorporating a multi-scale deformable self-attention module in the encoder and using the self-attention and cross-deformable attention mechanisms in the decoder, which aids in the extraction of the global features of the leukocyte feature maps. The effectiveness, superiority, and generalizability of the proposed MFDS-DETR method are confirmed through comparisons with other cutting-edge leukocyte detection models using the private WBCDD, public LISC and BCCD datasets. Our source code and private WBCCD dataset are available at https://github.com/JustlfC03/MFDS-DETR.

Selective neuronal vulnerability to deficits in RNA processing.

Emerging evidence indicates that errors in RNA processing can causally drive neurodegeneration. Given that RNA produced from expressed genes of all cell types undergoes processing (splicing, polyadenylation, 5' capping, etc.), the particular vulnerability of neurons to deficits in RNA processing calls for careful consideration. The activity-dependent transcriptome remodeling associated with synaptic plasticity in neurons requires rapid, multilevel post-transcriptional RNA processing events that provide additional opportunities for dysregulation and consequent introduction or persistence of errors in RNA transcripts. Here we review the accumulating evidence that neurons have an enhanced propensity for errors in RNA processing alongside grossly insufficient defenses to clear misprocessed RNA compared to other cell types. Additionally, we explore how tau, a microtubule-associated protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies, contributes to deficits in RNA processing and clearance.

A Secure and Privacy-Preserving Blockchain-Based XAI-Justice System

Pursuing “intelligent justice” necessitates an impartial, productive, and technologically driven methodology for judicial determinations. This scholarly composition proposes a framework that harnesses Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovations such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), ChatGPT, ontological alignment, and the semantic web, in conjunction with blockchain and privacy techniques, to examine, deduce, and proffer recommendations for the administration of justice. Specifically, through the integration of blockchain technology, the system affords a secure and transparent infrastructure for the management of legal documentation and transactions while preserving data confidentiality. Privacy approaches, including differential privacy and homomorphic encryption techniques, are further employed to safeguard sensitive data and uphold discretion. The advantages of the suggested framework encompass heightened efficiency and expediency, diminished error propensity, a more uniform approach to judicial determinations, and augmented security and privacy. Additionally, by utilizing explainable AI methodologies, the ethical and legal ramifications of deploying intelligent algorithms and blockchain technologies within the legal domain are scrupulously contemplated, ensuring a secure, efficient, and transparent justice system that concurrently protects sensitive information upholds privacy.

ChatGPT’s quiz skills in different otolaryngology subspecialties: an analysis of 2576 single-choice and multiple-choice board certification preparation questions

PurposeWith the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in various domains, including healthcare, there is growing acceptance and interest in consulting AI models to provide medical information and advice. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of ChatGPT’s responses to practice quiz questions designed for otolaryngology board certification and decipher potential performance disparities across different otolaryngology subspecialties.MethodsA dataset covering 15 otolaryngology subspecialties was collected from an online learning platform funded by the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, designed for board certification examination preparation. These questions were entered into ChatGPT, with its responses being analyzed for accuracy and variance in performance.ResultsThe dataset included 2576 questions (479 multiple-choice and 2097 single-choice), of which 57% (n = 1475) were answered correctly by ChatGPT. An in-depth analysis of question style revealed that single-choice questions were associated with a significantly higher rate (p < 0.001) of correct responses (n = 1313; 63%) compared to multiple-choice questions (n = 162; 34%). Stratified by question categories, ChatGPT yielded the highest rate of correct responses (n = 151; 72%) in the field of allergology, whereas 7 out of 10 questions (n = 65; 71%) on legal otolaryngology aspects were answered incorrectly.ConclusionThe study reveals ChatGPT’s potential as a supplementary tool for otolaryngology board certification preparation. However, its propensity for errors in certain otolaryngology areas calls for further refinement. Future research should address these limitations to improve ChatGPT’s educational use. An approach, with expert collaboration, is recommended for the reliable and accurate integration of such AI models.

Supporting weather forecasting performance management at aerodromes through anomaly detection and hierarchical clustering

Weather forecasting is a critical factor for aerodrome and enroute flight operations. Airport decision-makers rely on assessments made by forecasters to ensure operations safety and optimize flight schedule despite potential adverse weather conditions. This manuscript suggests a novel methodology based on Machine Learning to detect forecasting anomalies in historic data, and to rely on them for anticipating potential threats in aerodrome future forecasts. The methodology is fed with historic bulletins from radars and with previous forecasts, which are then processed via an anomaly detection algorithm, and a hierarchical clustering algorithm. While the former algorithm spots anomalous data points, the latter is used to group sets of similar forecasts. The joint usage of the results allows calculating an error propensity metric, which can predict the expected tendency of a certain forecast to be inaccurate. The methodology is meant to enhance decision makers in managing aerodrome weather forecasting, understanding criticalities related to their accuracy levels.

Countering conspiracy theory beliefs: Understanding the conjunction fallacy and considering disconfirming evidence

AbstractResearch suggests that a number of cognitive processes—including pattern perception, intentionality bias, proportionality bias, and confirmation bias—may underlie belief in a conspiracy theory. However, there are reasons to believe that conspiracy theory beliefs also depend in part on a failure to understand the probability of actual events allegedly supporting those conspiracy theories as well as a failure to entertain disconfirming evidence that may contradict those beliefs. Study 1 examines the relationships between general beliefs in conspiracy theories, belief in a novel conspiracy theory, conjunctive error propensity, and the propensity to consider disconfirming evidence. Study 2 investigates the roles of confronting both the propensity to make conjunctive errors and the failure to consider disconfirming evidence in changing conspiracy theory beliefs as well as attitudes associated with those beliefs. The results of both studies suggest that corrections to one's propensity to make conjunctive errors and mindful consideration of disconfirming evidence may serve as viable methods of self‐persuasion pertaining to conspiracy theory beliefs.

The Lateral Hook Test: What is the Amount of Force that Should Be Applied to Evaluate Syndesmotic Instability Using Arthroscopy?

Category:Ankle; Arthroscopy; Basic Sciences/BiologicsIntroduction/Purpose:The lateral hook test is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronal plane syndesmotic instability during arthroscopy. The amount of distal tibiofibular space is directly related to the amount of lateral directed applied force. This study aims to determine the optimal amount of forced needed during a lateral hook test to evaluate syndesmotic instability in the coronal plane. The secondary aim was to determine the amount of displacement variation that occurs when the lateral force is angled anteriorly or posteriorly.Methods:Ten fresh-frozen above-knee amputated cadaveric specimens underwent arthroscopic evaluation of the distal tibiofibular joint. The assessment was done first with all syndesmotic and ankle ligaments intact and subsequently with transection of the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL) and the interosseous ligament (IOL). In all scenarios, a lateral hook test was performed under increasing force from 0N to 120N of direct force, with increments of 20N. The lateral hook test was performed in: 1) the neutral position (no angulation), 2) anterior inclination of 15 degrees, and 3) posterior inclination of 15 degrees under the aforementioned force. Anterior and posterior coronal plane distal tibiofibular space were arthroscopically measured. Descriptive statistics were employed to determine the force and the most sensitive method to pull during arthroscopic evaluation to detect syndesmotic instability.Results:Among the specimens, after transection of AITFL and IOL, the anterior and posterior coronal plane space increased with increment in force until 60N and then displayed no change in these measurements despite the increase in force. In the intact state, there was an increase in syndesmosis coronal space with increase in force. Of the three methods of force application, the posteriorly directed force has the largest absolute value for the anterior and posterior coronal space, suggesting it is the most sensitive in distinguishing between stable and unstable syndesmotic injury.Conclusion:Arthroscopic coronal plane evaluation under 60N of direct force is best suited to distinguish stable from an unstable syndesmosis. Syndesmosis anterior and posterior coronal plane space measurement demonstrate the largest absolute difference when subjected to posteriorly directed force, suggesting that this new method of assessment has the highest potential for diagnosing even subtle syndesmotic instability, along with a lower propensity for error.

A contemporary review of non-invasive methods in diagnosing abdominal aortic aneurysms

Background: Currently, the impact of abdominal aortic aneurysm may be changing despite the aging population, but may be ambiguous given the decline in smoking, the use of screening methods, and integration of non-surgical treatment. Objective: This review aimed to assess the most common currently used non-invasive methods to identify abdominal aortic aneurysm, namely ultrasound and computed tomography. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were utilized to retrieve original articles from the past five years. All retrospective and prospective studies/trials were included, but limited to US and CT abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnostic imaging methods. Qualitative assessment of study quality is described. Results: Three of the six studies reported abdominal aortic aneurysm screening data. The estimated prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm for the three studies ranged from 4.5% to 6.2%. CT had slightly higher sensitivity and US had higher specificity for abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnosis. Two of the described studies assessed technical issues and problems with contemporary imaging of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The final article described measuring abdominal aortic aneurysm function of aortic distensibility and its pulse wave velocity for a comprehensive assessment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm via standard CT imaging. Conclusions: Both US and CT are useful diagnostic imaging modalities for abdominal aortic aneurysm, but remain with unique pitfalls and propensity for errors, notwithstanding patient-related errors. Technical issues in imaging with both ultrasound and CT are not straightforward. The potential value of an integrated CT protocol with CT-US fusion and/or assessment of aortic function rather than solely aortic anatomy may further diminish diagnostic complexities.

Using Primary Reinforcement to Enhance Translatability of a Human Affect and Decision-Making Judgment Bias Task.

Good translatability of behavioral measures of affect (emotion) between human and nonhuman animals is core to comparative studies. The judgment bias (JB) task, which measures "optimistic" and "pessimistic" decision-making under ambiguity as indicators of positive and negative affective valence, has been used in both human and nonhuman animals. However, one key disparity between human and nonhuman studies is that the former typically use secondary reinforcers (e.g., money) whereas the latter typically use primary reinforcers (e.g., food). To address this deficiency and shed further light on JB as a measure of affect, we developed a novel version of a JB task for humans using primary reinforcers. Data on decision-making and reported affective state during the JB task were analyzed using computational modeling. Overall, participants grasped the task well, and as anticipated, their reported affective valence correlated with trial-by-trial variation in offered volume of juice. In addition, previous findings from monetary versions of the task were replicated: More positive prediction errors were associated with more positive affective valence, a higher lapse rate was associated with lower affective arousal, and affective arousal decreased as a function of number of trials completed. There was no evidence that more positive valence was associated with greater "optimism," but instead, there was evidence that affective valence influenced the participants' decision stochasticity, whereas affective arousal tended to influence their propensity for errors. This novel version of the JB task provides a useful tool for investigation of the links between primary reward and punisher experience, affect, and decision-making, especially from a comparative perspective.

The Incorporation of Human Performance Improvement into Systems Design

Abstract Although considerable research has been conducted on the human-machine interface, this is a moving target as industry sprints to keep up with technological advances. Conflicts remain between the optimism of technology developers and the real-life operational difficulties that accompany the introduction of these systems. The developers typically claim that the new technology will result in performance improvements. Due to the operational complexities introduced, however, the technology may actually decrease user performance. Unfortunately, the complexities confronting operators are difficult for design teams to predict. Incorporating advances in technology is necessary, but should be properly balanced within the confines of the system. It is easy to forget that humans are a vital part of this system. The human, including the human's inclination for error, should be considered a fundamental aspect of the system, reflected in design and accounted for in the design process. Engaged human involvement is necessary for safe and successful system operation, but like all systems, it has its failure modes. Humans' innate propensity for error in system operation should be addressed from multiple fronts. This article proposes a method to minimize the impact of human error throughout life of a facility via incorporation of a human performance improvement model that institutes human error severity criteria, establishment of a system to capture human error data, and via data trending, a process to predict negative behaviors before potential errors or adverse events can occur.

A robust W-state encoding for linear quantum optics

Error-detection and correction are necessary prerequisites for any scalable quantum computing architecture. Given the inevitability of unwanted physical noise in quantum systems and the propensity for errors to spread as computations proceed, computational outcomes can become substantially corrupted. This observation applies regardless of the choice of physical implementation. In the context of photonic quantum information processing, there has recently been much interest inpassivelinear optics quantum computing, which includes boson-sampling, as this model eliminates the highly-challenging requirements for feed-forward via fast, active control. That is, these systems arepassiveby definition. In usual scenarios, error detection and correction techniques are inherentlyactive, making them incompatible with this model, arousing suspicion that physical error processes may be an insurmountable obstacle. Here we explore a photonic error-detection technique, based on W-state encoding of photonic qubits, which is entirely passive, based on post-selection, and compatible with these near-term photonic architectures of interest. We show that this W-state redundant encoding techniques enables the suppression of dephasing noise on photonic qubits via simple fan-out style operations, implemented by optical Fourier transform networks, which can be readily realised today. The protocol effectively maps dephasing noise into heralding failures, with zero failure probability in the ideal no-noise limit. We present our scheme in the context of a single photonic qubit passing through a noisy communication or quantum memory channel, which has not been generalised to the more general context of full quantum computation.

Such Violent Laughter

Such Violent Laughter Alan Singer (bio) I sit and look at myself all day and cry. I have a big hole in the middle of my face that scares people, even myself, so I can't blame the boys for not wanting to take me out. … What did I do to deserve such a terrible bad fate? Even if I did do some bad things I didn't do any before I was a year old and I was born this way. I asked Papa and he says he doesn't know, but that maybe I did something in the other world before I was born or that maybe I was being punished for his sins. I don't believe that because he is a very nice man. Ought I commit suicide? —Nathanael West (1975, 4) "What did I do to deserve such a terrible fate?" "Ought I commit suicide?" The questions are serious, and as we sometimes say, seriously funny. Harold Bloom's appreciation of the passage quoted above from Nathanael West's remarkable novel Miss Lonelyhearts, takes account of our relief that the violence suffered by the questioner is hers to endure. By the same token, Bloom does not flinch from the recognition that West's narrative conscientiousness wrings a confession from his readers, that the laughter is ours. How do we laugh at such existential violence without fearing for our lives? How else can we live? The peculiar discomfort Bloom registers in his reflection on West's greatness as a novelist turns out to be the aim of more than one twentieth century American fiction writer. One only has to quickly thumb through Bloom's writings in his posthumous collection The American Canon to pick out a conspicuous bloody thread. The essays on Nathanael West, Flannery O'Connor, and William Faulkner configure themselves as a suite of reflections on what Bloom might argue is a uniquely American rapport with comic violence, though he doesn't deploy the term. One quickly understands that Bloom's enthusiasm for these authors individually and as a group derives from their syncretistic penchants for extorting laughter from our otherwise shocked witness to the most violent human actions. It is no coincidence that each of these authors is frequently mentioned in Bloom's appreciation of each of the others. More to the point, Gnosticism, a career long obsession of Bloom's, appears to be at the root of his experience reading of West, O'Connor, and Faulkner. From a Bloomian perspective, Gnosticism is arguably equivalent [End Page 479] to knowledge of our propensity for error and suffering. I would argue that it is oddly akin to Greek hamartia, the promise of corrigibility through experience. Bloom's readerly persistence through the trials of gnostic knowing is, thanks to Gershom Scholem's reliably paradoxical phrase, "redemption though sin, easily construed as acceptance of our entrapment in experience. The relevant sin here is especially cautionary for American readers who keep faith with the phantom of an American Adam. Sin is perforce the manner of human striving after more and more experience. What is redeemed is simply what is wrought through striving. Sin, after all is the refusal of death and transcendence. It is more durable. More to the point, it is do-able; it is brutal agency itself, unencumbered by the visionary spirits of romantic sublimity. In Bloom's opening essay on Emerson, the point is already taken: "Emerson is an experiential critic and essayist, and not a Transcendental philosopher" (Bloom 2019, 13). Bloom invites us to think of Emerson's American exemplarity (though he finds the same wisdom in the Bible, Shakespeare, Freud), as his acceptance of the confliction of experience. For Emerson "…we need to be everything in ourselves while we go on fearing that we are nothing in ourselves" (14). The literary imagination is quintessentially conflicted in the very impetus of the writer to imagine what is not the case. Of course the literary confliction that we know most terrifyingly, which is to say most violently, comes to us in the genre of tragedy where human agency hangs drastically in the balance. Oedipus is of course presumed to be mistaken about who he...

The role of purple pens in learning to prescribe.

Medical doctors are required to prescribe drugs safely and effectively upon qualification, a skill that many feel poorly prepared to undertake. To better prepare doctors, a whole-task approach that develops knowledge and skills, but that also considers the effect of the complex clinical workplace on prescribing, is optimal. We describe an evaluation of an experiential learning programme that allows senior medical students to gain experience with inpatient prescribing during their hospital assistantship. A standard operating procedure (SOP) for medical student transcribing was implemented by the teaching hospitals associated with a single medical school. This included medical student prescriptions being written in purple ink. The evaluation consisted of an audit of transcribing activity and a student survey. We evaluated the usage of the initiative, adherence to the SOP and the propensity for error. The survey was completed by 38 out of a possible 108 fifth-year students. All respondents agreed that the programme was helpful in aiding them to learn about prescribing. A total of 247 prescriptions for 50 patients were audited: 25.1% of the prescriptions written by students required some form of amendment by the supervising doctor or pharmacist; three (1.2%) prescription errors remained unidentified; and none presented a patient safety risk. The purple-pen scheme affords medical students the opportunity to prescribe in the workplace, where they face authentic challenges when safely contributing to patient care. The identification of prescribing errors, feedback and the learners' own reflections helped the learners to focus on areas for improvement in prescribing prior to qualification.

Variation between Pathological Measurement and Endoscopically Estimated Size of Colonic Polyps

Background and Aims: Accurate determination of colonic polyp size is vital to an appropriate surveillance. The main aim of this study was to evaluate variation between the polyp size reported by the endoscopist and its pathological measurement. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all colonic adenomatous polyps resected in a 12-month period was performed at our center. Endoscopic and pathological size for each polyp were compared, and overestimation rates, underestimation rates, and endoscopic-pathological variation (EPV) were calculated. Results: Among the 573 polyps that were included, the mean endoscopic and pathological sizes were 8.00 and 6.66 mm, respectively. The most frequent error, in 62.1%, was overestimation by the colonoscopist. Overestimation and EPV were associated with resection technique (higher in endoscopic mucosal resection and smaller with biopsy forceps) and colonoscopist. They were not associated with years of experience in colonoscopy. Overestimation was more frequent in larger polyps. Conclusions: Our study shows significant discordance between endoscopic and pathological size of colonic polyps with a clear tendency for endoscopic overestimation. Larger polyps are more difficult to accurately assess than smaller ones. This propensity for error was not related to colonoscopist’s years of experience and seems to be an individual tendency.

Optimal auditing of social benefit fraud: a case study

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of different audit strategies on fraud in one particular social benefit system in Sweden. The efficiency of different audit strategies is compared using a computer-based optimization algorithm. Two types of audit strategies are used. One is to adapt the audit intensity to the propensity for errors and fraud in different segments of the group studied. This type of strategy is denoted segmentation strategy. The second type of audit strategy is based on adaptation of behaviour through information. The model developed by Erard and Feinstein for tax auditing is adapted for benefit fraud. In this model, the audit intensity is controlled by a variable, and the auditees are informed of the relationship between control variable and audit intensity. The control variable used in this paper is the benefit amount claimed during a certain period. As the audit intensity increases with the claim amount, the rational fraudster understands that reducing the amount of fraud decreases the risk of being audited. This type of strategy is denoted information strategy. One main result is that the Erard and Feinstein model can be successfully adapted to benefit fraud. Using coarse estimates of audit unit costs, the result of the study is that all persons should be audited. For higher audit costs, it is shown that the information strategy is much more effective when compared to the segmentation strategy.

Safeguarding the integrity of Liquefied Natural Gas infrastructure assets with digitization: Case of a domestic gas metering upgrade project

Low productivity levels have contributed to the cost and schedule overruns that have plagued the construction of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) processing facilities in Australia. Traditional paper based methods such as Computer-Aided-Design have been relied upon to create, manage, store and retrieve information throughout each phase of a project's lifecycle for Electrical, Instrumentation and Control Systems (EICS). As a result of utilizing CAD to document (e.g., specifications, and ‘as-builts’) ECIS, the propensity for errors, omissions and information redundancy to occur, significantly increases. Attending to issues of this nature during the construction of a facility can result in scope changes, losses in productivity, and increases in project costs. Using a case study, this paper examines the nature of the documentation produced to up-grade a domestic gas metering system that formed an integral part of a LNG plant's production process. Issues hindering productivity during the production of the documentation, communication and information exchanges, and change management involved with the deliver of the EICS are presented. In addressing problems identified in the case study, it is suggested that EICS for an LNG plant should be digitized (i.e process of converting information into a digital format) using a Systems Information Model to ensure effective and efficient production and management of information throughout its lifecycle, and contribute towards safeguarding the assets integrity.

Continuous Performance Tasks: Not Just About Sustaining Attention.

PurposeContinuous performance tasks (CPTs) are used to measure individual differences in sustained attention. Many different stimuli have been used as response targets without consideration of their impact on task performance. Here, we compared CPT performance in typically developing adults and children to assess the role of stimulus processing on error rates and reaction times.MethodParticipants completed a CPT that was based on response to infrequent targets, while monitoring and withholding responses to regular nontargets. Performance on 3 stimulus conditions was compared: visual letters (X and O), their auditory analogs, and auditory pure tones.ResultsAdults showed no difference in error propensity across the 3 conditions but had slower reaction times for auditory stimuli. Children had slower overall reaction times. They responded most quickly to the visual target and most slowly to the tone target. They also made more errors in the tone condition than in either the visual or the auditory spoken CPT conditions.ConclusionsThe results suggest error propensity and reaction time variations on CPTs cannot solely be interpreted as evidence of inattention. They also reflect stimulus-specific influences that must be considered when testing hypotheses about modality-specific deficits in sustained attention in populations with different developmental disorders.

Toward productivity improvement in electrical engineering documentation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the unproductive time and additional cost to re-engineer a safety control system for a Floating Production Storage Offloading vessel that was originally engineered and documented in computer-aided design (CAD). Design/methodology/approach – The “As-Built” drawings contained numerous errors and omissions, which resulted in a “requests for information” being raised and productivity rates reduced – these costs and productivity losses are quantified. The use of CAD to originally engineer and document the safety control system was found to be inefficient as a 1:n relationship existed. Systems Information Models (SIMs) presents an alternative method to produce engineering documentation for the safety control system; where a 1:1 relationship is created between the model and the real objects. By constructing a 1:1 model, information redundancy can be eliminated, which reduces the propensity for errors and omissions to be made by engineers. Findings – The use of a SIM to re-engineer and document the new safety control system resulted in significant productivity benefits being achieved. Consequently, it is proffered that a paradigm shift from a 1:n to 1:1 perspective is required for engineering electrical and instrumentation systems so as to ameliorate the quality of documentation produced and productivity. Originality/value – The paper concludes by suggesting that future research is required to examine how processes and procedures can be re-designed to accommodate the use of a SIM.

Risk Information and Retirement Investment Choice Mistakes Under Prospect Theory

We assess alternative presentations of investment risk using a discrete choice experiment which asked subjects to rank three investment portfolios for retirement savings across nine risk presentation formats and four underlying risk levels. Using Prospect Theory utility specifications, we estimate individual-specific parameters for risk preferences in gains and losses, loss aversion, and error propensity variability. Our results support presentations that describe investment risk using probability tails. Risk preferences and error propensity were found to vary significantly across sociodemographic groups and levels of financial literacy. Our findings should assist regulatory efforts to disclose risk information to the mass market.