Towards assisting the decision-making process for content creators in cinematic virtual reality through the analysis of movie cuts and their influence on viewers' behavior

Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining popularity in recent years due to the commercialization of personal devices. VR is a new and exciting medium to tell stories, however, the development of Cinematic Virtual Reality (CVR) content is still in an exploratory phase. One of the main reasons is that in this medium the user has now total or partial control of the camera, therefore viewers create their own personal experiences by deciding what to see in every moment, which can potentially hinder the delivery of a pre-established narrative. In the particular case of transitions from one shot to another (movie cuts), viewers may not be aligned with the main elements of the scene placed by the content creator to convey the story. This can result in viewers missing key elements of the narrative. In this work, we explore recent studies that analyze viewers’ behavior during cinematic cuts in VR videos, and we discuss guidelines and methods which can help filmmakers with the decision-making process when filming and editing their movies

Exploring the impact of 360° movie cuts in users' attention

Virtual Reality (VR) has grown since the first devices for personal use became available on the market. However, the production of cinematographic content in this new medium is still in an early exploratory phase. The main reason is that cinematographic language in VR is still under development, and we still need to learn how to tell stories effectively. A key element in traditional film editing is the use of different cutting techniques, in order to transition seamlessly from one sequence to another. A fundamental aspect of these techniques is the placement and control over the camera. However, VR content creators do not have full control of the camera. Instead, users in VR can freely explore the 360° of the scene around them, which potentially leads to very different experiences. While this is desirable in certain applications such as VR games, it may hinder the experience in narrative VR. In this work, we perform a systematic analysis of users'' viewing behavior across cut boundaries while watching professionally edited, narrative 360° videos. We extend previous metrics for quantifying user behavior in order to support more complex and realistic footage, and we introduce two new metrics that allow us to measure users'' exploration in a variety of different complex scenarios. From this analysis, (i) we confirm that previous insights derived for simple content hold for professionally edited content, and (ii) we derive new insights that could potentially influence VR content creation, informing creators about the impact of different cuts in the audience's behavior

Asymmetric Dimethylarginine (ADMA) Levels Are Lower in Hemodialysis Patients Treated With Paricalcitol

Chronic kidney disease is a major public health problem. In the last decade, it has been shown that the early stages of chronic kidney disease are associated with an inflammatory condition involving an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and long-term mortality. In patients with chronic kidney disease and more specifically those on hemodialysis, cardiovascular events are the most common cause of death. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and may be an independent risk factor for endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis to identify factors that were associated with ADMA such as certain medications related to cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients. Results: Patients who were treated with paricalcitol had significantly lower levels of ADMA (0.21 ± 0.19 μmol/l) compared with those not treated with paricalcitol (0.42 ± 0.35 μmol/l) (P = 0.00027). Dividing ADMA levels by quartiles, patients treated with paricalcitol were less likely to have very high level ADMA (P = 0.014), whereas there were no significant differences with other medications. Higher dose of paricalcitol was also related to lower levels of ADMA noting an inverse correlation (r = –0.36, P = 0.013). Discussion: Hemodialysis patients treated with paricalcitol presented significantly decreased ADMA levels compared with those who did not receive this treatment. Possible beneficial effects in terms of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by paricalcitol and its association with ADMA and nitric oxide synthesis are unknown. Studies to confirm this effect and determine the underlying pathophysiological mechanism are necessary