Affordances as possible actions: elements for a semiotic approach

[Abstract] As far as semiotic theories are concerned, new digital texts and objects emphasize the need to refocus on the intimate connection between user and interface, considered as a space where deploying and manipulating contents through repeated contacts with a sensitive area (Fontanille & Zinna, 2004; Zinna 2004). In this case, the concept of «affordance» becomes of central importance. Originally developed in the framework of Gestalt theory, the term «affordance» was subsequently reworked and made famous through the ecological approach to perception conceived by James Gibson (1966, 1979). However, the concept has successively been integrated into a more binary conception of cognition (Norman, 1988, 1998, 1999, 2007; Zhang & Patel, 2006), which seems to be responsible for the loss of much of its heuristic power. In this paper, I intend to go back to the genesis of the notion (Koffka, 1935, Visetti & Rosenthal, 1999) and propose a semiotic and dynamic reinterpretation of this concept, where affordances can be seen as dispositions to act and patterns of expectation (De Souza, 2005; Eco, 1997, 2007; Paolucci, 2007; Peirce, 1931-58; Quéré, 1999). Using Graphic User Interfaces as my object of study and developing an ecological approach to cognition, where the environment and the subject cannot be considered on the basis of binary distinction (Clark 1997, 2006, 2008; Noë 2004, 2009), I will show how semiotic activity takes place in a not infinitely brief present-time (Rosenthal, 2004, 2005), which is necessary for the development of a microgenetic activity of perception and cognition that will be intrinsically cultural. In this context, affordances may be explained as responses to a conceivable practical action made possible by habits that subjects consider on the basis of their inclusion in a system of practices and knowledge which foreshadow a specific and located horizon of actio

HBIM and Virtual Tools: A New Chance to Preserve Architectural Heritage

Nowadays, architectural heritage is increasingly exposed to dangers due to natural disasters or human invasive actions. However, management and conservation represent crucial phases within the life cycle of historical buildings. Unfortunately, the complexity of conservation practices and the lack of knowledge of historic buildings are the cause of an inefficient recovering process in case of emergencies. To overcome this problem, this research aims to ensure the preservation of relevant information through the use of building information modeling (BIM) methodology. By developing historic building information models (HBIMs), it is possible to enhance the architectural heritage. This represents an opportunity to incorporate digital media into the global heritage conservation field. To achieve this goal, a historical castle was selected as a case study; this unique piece of architecture is located in the Piedmont Region, close to city of Turin (Italy). The results show a direct relation between a historical digital model, finalized to the management of architectural and system components, and visualization tools. To conclude, the adoption of this strategy is an effective way to preserve and consult information using advanced visualization techniques based on augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR)

Attack-Surface Metrics, OSSTMM and Common Criteria Based Approach to “Composable Security” in Complex Systems

In recent studies on Complex Systems and Systems-of-Systems theory, a huge effort has been put to cope with behavioral problems, i.e. the possibility of controlling a desired overall or end-to-end behavior by acting on the individual elements that constitute the system itself. This problem is particularly important in the “SMART” environments, where the huge number of devices, their significant computational capabilities as well as their tight interconnection produce a complex architecture for which it is difficult to predict (and control) a desired behavior; furthermore, if the scenario is allowed to dynamically evolve through the modification of both topology and subsystems composition, then the control problem becomes a real challenge. In this perspective, the purpose of this paper is to cope with a specific class of control problems in complex systems, the “composability of security functionalities”, recently introduced by the European Funded research through the pSHIELD and nSHIELD projects (ARTEMIS-JU programme). In a nutshell, the objective of this research is to define a control framework that, given a target security level for a specific application scenario, is able to i) discover the system elements, ii) quantify the security level of each element as well as its contribution to the security of the overall system, and iii) compute the control action to be applied on such elements to reach the security target. The main innovations proposed by the authors are: i) the definition of a comprehensive methodology to quantify the security of a generic system independently from the technology and the environment and ii) the integration of the derived metrics into a closed-loop scheme that allows real-time control of the system. The solution described in this work moves from the proof-of-concepts performed in the early phase of the pSHIELD research and enrich es it through an innovative metric with a sound foundation, able to potentially cope with any kind of pplication scenarios (railways, automotive, manufacturing, ...)

Multimodal treatment of gastric cancer in the west: Where are we going?

The incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is decreasing worldwide, especially for intestinal histotype of the distal third of the stomach. On the contrary, proximal location and diffuse Lauren histotype have been reported to be generally stable over time. In the west, no clear improvement in long-term results was observed in clinical and population-based studies. Results of treatment in these neoplasms are strictly dependent on tumor stage. Adequate surgery and extended lymphadenectomy are associated with good long-term outcome in early-stage cancer; however, results are still unsatisfactory for advanced stages (III and IV), for which additional treatments could provide a survival benefit. This implies a tailored approach to GC. The aim of this review was to summarize the main multimodal treatment options in advanced resectable GC. Perioperative or postoperative treatments, including chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, targeted therapies, and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy have been reviewed, and the main ongoing and completed trials have been analyzed. An original tailored multimodal approach to non-cardia GC has been also proposed

Conversion Surgery in Gastric Cancer Carcinomatosis

Background: After the REGATTA trial, patients with stage IV gastric cancer could only benefit from chemotherapy (CHT). However, some of these patients may respond extraordinarily to palliative chemotherapy, converting their disease to a radically operable stage. We present a single centre experience in treating peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric cancer. Methods: All patients with stage IV gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases as a single metastatic site operated at a single centre between 2005 and 2020 were included. Cases were grouped according to the treatment received. Results: A total of 118 patients were considered, 46 were submitted to palliative gastrectomy (11 were considered M1 because of an unsuspected positive peritoneal cytology), and 20 were submitted to Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) because of a <6 Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI). The median overall survival (OS) after surgery plus HIPEC was 46.7 (95% CI 15.8–64.0). Surgery (without HIPEC) after CHT presented a median OS 14.4 (8.2–26.8) and after upfront surgery 14.7 (10.9–21.1). Patients treated with upfront surgery and considered M1 only because of a positive cytology, had a median OS of 29.2 (25.2–29.2). The OS of patients treated with surgery plus HIPEC were 60.4 months (9.2–60.4) in completely regressed cancer after chemotherapy and 31.2 (15.8–64.0) in those partially regressed (p = 0.742). Conclusions: Conversion surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric cancer was associated with long survival and it should always be taken into consideration in this group of patients

The new TNM classification of lymph node metastasis minimises stage migration problems in gastric cancer patients

The present study aimed at investigating whether in gastric cancer patients stage migration occurs with extension of lymphadenectomy, when node metastases are staged according to the new pN classification (UICC 1997). The investigation involved 921 patients, who underwent R0 gastric resection for gastric cancer between 1988 and 1998 in three different Italian centres: Verona (n=236), Forlì (n=409), Siena (n=276). The relation among lymphadenectomy and pN category was assessed by Kendall's partial rank-order correlation coefficient, controlling for depth of tumour invasion. A direct evaluation of the Will Rogers phenomenon was accomplished in the Verona series, by comparing the number of positive nodes actually observed with the number of positive nodes which would have been retrieved by a less extended lymphadenectomy (D1). The number of positive nodes increased remarkably with the enlargement of lymphadenectomy, especially in pT2 patients (from 2.2±3.9 in D1 to 3.9±5.0 in D3) and in pT3/pT4 patients (from 5.1±5.9 in D1 to 11.3±12.6 in D3). Non-parametric statistics highlighted a weak (Kendall's partial T=0.128) but significant (P<0.001) correlation between pN category and extension of lymphadenectomy. In the direct analysis of the Verona series, 22 patients out of 230 (9.6%) migrated to a lower pN tier when ignoring positive nodes retrieved from the second and third level. This percentage increased to 39.1% (90 out of 230) when adopting the TNM 87 classification. In conclusion stage migration is of minor importance in gastric cancer patients, staged according to the new pN classification

micrornas and cdh1 regulation in intestinal type gastric cancer

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Control architecture to provide E2E security in interconnected systems: the (new) SHIELD approach

Modern Systems are usually obtained as incremental composition of proper (smaller and SMART) subsystems interacting through communication interfaces. Such flexible architecture allows the pervasive provisioning of a wide class of services, ranging from multimedia contents delivery, through monitoring data collection, to command and control functionalities. All these services requires that the adequate level of robustness and security is assured at End-to- End (E2E) level, according to user requirements that may vary depending on the specific context or the involved technologies. A flexible methodology to dynamically control the security level of the service being offered is then needed. In this perspective, the authors propose an innovative control architecture able to assure E2E security potentially in any application, by dynamically adapting to the underlying systems and using its resources to “build the security”. In particular, the main novelties of this solution are: i) the possibility of dynamically discovering and composing the available functionalities offered by the environment to satisfy the security needs and ii) the possibility of modelling and measuring the security through innovative technology-independent metrics. The results presented in this paper moves from the solutions identified in the pSHIELD project and enrich them with the innovative advances achieved through the nSHIELD research, still ongoing. Both projects have been funded by ARTEMIS-JU