Open Access

While Virtual Reality (VR) has been applied to various domains to provide new visualization and interaction capabilities, enabling programmers to utilize VR for their software development and maintenance tasks has been insufficiently explored. In this paper, we present the Hyper-Display Environment (HyDE) in the form of a mixed-reality (HyDE-MR) or virtual reality (HyDE-VR) variant respectively, which provides simultaneous multiple operating system window visualization with integrated keyboard/mouse viewing and interaction using MR or in pure VR via a virtual keyboard. This paper applies HyDE in a software development case study as an alternative to typical non-VR Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), supporting software engineering tasks with multiple live screens in VR as an augmented virtuality. The MR solution concept enables programmers to benefit from VR visualization and virtually unlimited information displays while supporting their more natural keyboard interaction for basic code-centric tasks. Thus, developers can leverage VR paradigms and capabilities while directly interacting with their favorite tools to develop and maintain program code. A prototype implementation is described, with a case study demonstrating its feasibility and an initial empirical study showing its potential.

This paper describes an application analysis of one important topic of diversity marketing – gender marketing. With the help of two surveys and content analyses in two different media sectors – television and print media – the general trend of gender representation in advertising could be located. While most survey respondents are still using characteristics for males and females which were shaped by traditional gender roles, most of them believe that the roles from the 1950s are outdated and that the media should adapt to the changes in societies in regard to gender roles. However, the content analyses have shown that the marketers have already adapted and are primarily presenting the viewers contemporary images of men and women instead of the stereotyped ones from the 1950s. The only issue that has not changed yet is the color coding which starts to differentiate between males and females since childhood. The findings of this paper suggest that the perception and the reality do not always correspond with each other and that, although the adoption of the change of gender roles is advancing, it is still not completed yet.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive literature review about albinism as an inherited metabolic disorder of melanin synthesis along with those related conditions impacting the visual system. As such, it addresses eye care emphasizing the visual consequences of albinism along with diagnostic and treatment options. Methods: Background knowledge about ocular development is given as well as information about etiological biochemical and genetic processes. The current classification, clinical findings and their assessment and management options are presented based on recent results of research. In conclusion, two case reports are described as examples of visual care options. Results: Melanin plays a big role in the retinal and chiasmal development. Melanin biosynthesis can be disrupted by different genes in various ways which leads to the current classification of albinism. Clinical findings include fundus hypopigmenta-tion, nystagmus, iris transillumination, photophobia, foveal hypoplasia, excessive chiasmal decussation, reduced visual acuity, high astigmatism (with-the-rule), strabismus and decreased stereopsis. Treatment options to improve visual acuity, fixation and binocularity are (tinted) prescription lenses and contact lenses, low vision aids, surgical procedures and vision therapy. Medication and supplementa-tion for increased pigmentation are currently being tested on mice. Conclusions: Albinism is caused by genetic mutations resulting in ocular and cutaneous hypopigmentation. It establishes various phenotypes that require different therapy approaches in order to improve vision and therefore quality of life.

A good stereopsis (depth perception) is needed in everyday life, regardless whether a person is a professional driver or chef. Good estimation of distance, and of what is further and what closer, could mean the difference between a crushed and a whole car or between a bloody and a healthy finger. The main theme of this Master thesis is detect and quantify major factors in depth perception. Do the younger estimate the depth better than the older; do they have better depth perception with greater or smaller pupil distance; does depth perception depend on gender; what happens with stereopsis when vision is fogged by +0,5 and +1,0 D? These are the questions dealt with in this Master thesis. To answer these questions measurements were made on 51 subjects (mean age 45,0 +/- 13,32 years) of whom 25 were women, mean age 45,5 +/-13,55 years (12 with PD<62 mm, mean and 13 with PD>66 mm) and 26 men, mean age 44,4 +/- 13,34 years (13 with PD<62 mm and, 13 with PD >66 mm). Each of these four groups was further divided by age (one in range 20 to 35 years and second in range 50 to 65 years). The measurements were made with a few assumptions. The first assumption was that stereopsis is in direct correlation with visual acuity, the second assumption was that persons with bigger interpupillar distance have better stereopsis, and the third assumption was that with age the stereopsis ability decreases. The measurements were done with modified Frisby–Davis test expanded from four geometrical shapes to twenty-five circles. The stereopsis was measured with full refractive correction at 4,5 and 3,0 meters. Later, stereopsis was measured with fogging with +0,5 and +1,0 D at the 4,5 and 3,0 meter distances. Statistically there is no correlation (or very weak) between stereopsis and the visual acuity for whole group of 51 test persons, but if only young test persons are taken in consideration, the correlation becomes significant, r(20)=0,566, p=0,009 at 4,5 m and r(20)=0,456, p=0,043 at 3,0 m and that matches the assumption. Stereopsis is in no or weak positive correlation with pupil distance r(51)=0,059, p=0,679, which is in total contrast to the assumption. Stereopsis is in positive correlation with age at 4,5 meters measuring distance, r(51)=0,371, p=0,007, which corresponds to assumption. In addition, stereopsis is better in females than in males by 32,5%. Based on the results it can be concluded that the stereopsis is in negative correlation with age, in positive correlation with visual acuity, females have better stereopsis than males and statistically, the correlation between stereopsis and pupil distance (PD) has not been proved. The most important conclusion is that the decreased visual acuity brings significant fall of stereopsis. A deficit in refraction of -0,50 D decreases stereo acuity by about 90% (nearly 2x) and a deficit of -1,0 D decreases stereo acuity by about 220% (about 3x). Keywords: Stereopsis, stereo acuity, depth perception, pupil distance (PD), visual acuity (VA).