Throughout its evolution, cinema sound has changed the way we watch and understand films. Initially sound carried little narrative information. Today's multi-channel soundtrack, on the other hand, is able to enlarge the diegetic space and immerse the audience in it. However, it could be argued that the multi-channel soundtrack's potential as a narrative tool has yet to be fully explored. This article reports on our research into the possibilities and limitations of the multi-channel soundtrack as a carrier of large sections of narrative information. We identify three areas of interest: spatialisation of sound sources; surround ambiences with a narrative relevance; and separation of sound streams. A short film has been created exploring these topics and feedback has been elicited from a small audience. We conclude that this potential could be fully unlocked if considerations regarding the surround soundtrack are taken into account in the early stages of production.

The rapid developments of emerging technologies, including Big Data, Cloud Computing, and Internet of Things, are causing many societies to struggle whilst trying to keep up with, and adopt them. As a consequence, serious concerns and issues are being raised. The threat to personal information privacy is one of these issues. This review paper briefly introduces the aforementioned technologies and explores concepts related to concerns on information privacy and disclosure in the U.A.E. in the context of these technologies. In addition, related research themes that could be interesting to explore are identified, with a focus on the local environment.

The deployment of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) introduced multiple and obvious benefits. Nevertheless, it also introduced various issues and challenges. Among others, these include considerations regarding the levels of system access, provisions for security and authorization protocols, provisions for backup and recovery mechanisms, and the training of IT staff and their appreciation of the system. The study focused on these areas, and introduced a number of related concepts and observations, based on the opinions of a sample population of EHR system stakeholders across Greece and Oman. The study adopted a qualitative methodology, utilizing field work and visits to the natural settings of medical units in the two countries, where a total of 40 professionals were interviewed. The results indicate that the views of professionals are largely divided in terms of patient access to their personal records. It was also observed that the access of third parties to such records should be both restricted and recorded. In terms of the security level, the ICTs training and the backup and recovery mechanism in place, professionals were generally satisfied, with the majority of the interviewees also confirming that an authorization scheme should be followed in order to access the EHR.

Assisted by the technological advances of the past decades, stereoscopic 3D cues are being integrated increasingly in both interactive and non-interactive media. Arguably, the main focus of this effort is placed on the creation of an increased sense of visual depth. Considering that human perception relies heavily on the audiovisual integration rather than on visual information alone, it is rather surprising that relatively little attention has been given so far to the potential effect of the soundtrack on 3D depth perception in contrast to the evident interest towards the study of realistic 3D audio spatialisation techniques and technologies. The multisensory nature of human perception suggests that the potential of sound design as a means to influence depth perception in the stereoscopic 3D visual environments may be worthy of further exploration. This study reports on our research into the possibilities of using alterations of the volume levels of the soundtrack in order to influence the perception of visual depth while viewing stereoscopic 3D animation clips. Based on previous findings indicating that the volume level of the soundtrack may be related to the perception of visual depth, a series of experiments further explored the effectiveness of this auditory cue. Results suggest that, under certain conditions, differences in volume levels of the soundtrack could influence the judgement of visual depth in a way that frequently contradicts real-life expectations. It is suggested that different, more metaphorical perceptual mechanisms may be in play when viewing stereoscopic 3D presentations than in real life. In this context, we conclude that stereoscopic 3D media can benefit from further exploration of the effectiveness of certain auditory cues as a means to influence the perception of depth within the stereoscopic 3D environment.

Cinematic sound design workflows are well-established and refined over many years of practice and scholarly review, and the creative and technical approaches resulting from this are widely adopted and used. Until recently, these approaches were partially dictated by the conventions and limitations of the underlying visual medium: the cinematic screen. Nevertheless, the ongoing technological revolution brings radical changes in the way we approach and consume creative media content and the accompanying soundtracks. Long-established cinematic sound design conventions are challenged and transformed, as emerging cinematic sound systems allow for greater creative freedom and more precise sound spatialisation. At the same time, advanced virtual reality (VR) systems provide an opportunity to break the boundaries of the screen and allow filmmakers to explore new ways of creative expression. With this comes an increased demand for specialised audio content that utilises the unique technological and creative characteristics of the VR medium. Through discussions and commentary based on secondary research and a series of interviews with sound design and filmmaking practitioners, this study aims at identifying some of the creative and practical opportunities and challenges sound designers may encounter when working in VR projects with a cinematic narrative structure and orientation. Ultimately, the study seeks to assist sound designers, VR filmmakers, and immersive media practitioners in better contextualising and defining the potential roles of the soundtrack in VR filmmaking and the associated workflows, contributing to the ongoing dialogue as the language of the new medium is being developed.

The role of healthcare is critical in all communities, and the development of efficient healthcare systems is a top priority for governments and health organizations on a world-wide basis. With the technological advances of the past decades transforming almost every aspect of our lives, it is unsurprising that healthcare has become the subject of rapid, technologically-driven transformations under the concept of smart health. This is an umbrella term covering a range of underlying concepts and technologies, such as wearable devices and sensors and the use of big data and cloud computing in the broader context of health services and infrastructures [1]. The purpose of this study is to explore how these three main components of the smart health model, are integrated into, and affecting the smart health systems in the U.A.E.