Discuss How Difficult Would It Be for Hong Kong to Develop Free Essays

The use of befoul Is not desirable, since It Is not commonly use. It would be difficult for the government to promote because not many people in Hong Kong drive cars and there are other car fuel options, for example LAP. From the economic perspective, developing befoul involves high production cost. We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss How Difficult Would It Be for Hong Kong to Develop or any similar topic only for you Order Now Befoul is not the only option to fight against air pollution. The demand of befoul is not very high and the Hong Kong government could spend the budget on other aspects. Or else people who cannot be benefit from the scheme would just protest, which adversely affect social harmony. On the other hand, from the experience and research of other countries, it is know that developing befoul would cause deforestation and loss of habitat. It would be difficult for the government to develop befoul because people may think that spending heavy cost to do so Just couldn’t solve the problem in a sustainable way. The support from its people would not be enough. From the safety perspective, , since Hong Kong has no experience in handling befoul, accidents may happen. If befoul exploited on a large scale, it would be very dangerous. Accidents not only happen in plants, but also cars, fuel leak could be one of the possibilities that cause harm to the people using befoul. To conclude there are many difficulties In developing and promote befouls to replace peritoneum as car fuels, the government should do consultation and consider the needs of different people before the Implementation. Discuss How Difficult Would It Be for Hong Kong to Develop and Promote Befouls to Replace Petroleum as Car Fee By caterpillar From geographical perspective, bodiless feedstock available in Hong Kong is waste cooking oil and animal fats. Due to the limited space, it is not possible to build many bodiless production plants in Hong Kong, as a result the supply of befoul would not be enough. Moreover, Hong Kong has heavy use of petroleum, since it is cheaper, more efficient and can be imported easily. The use of befoul is not desirable, since it is not commonly use. It would be difficult for the government to promote because not aspects. Or else people who cannot be benefit from the scheme would Just protest, To conclude there are many difficulties in developing and promote befouls to the needs of different people before the implementation. How to cite Discuss How Difficult Would It Be for Hong Kong to Develop, Papers

Project Development Project Management Engineering

Question: Describe about the Project Development for Project Management Engineering. Answer: Introduction: The assignment is based upon creating a Network Infrastructure and system arrangement for the Australian Labs. The project will address problem analysis and system development for the lab facility. Australian lab contacted XYZ Informatics for the job and us at XYZ Informatics analyzing and preparing a system which can be compatible with the present scenario. The lab is currently working with traditional sample collection and report distribution system. They are willing to acquire new facilities regarding the lab sample collection and reporting. Problem Analysis: The Australian Labs is associated with lab testing service for a variety of clients, which includes doctors, medical offices throughout the country. In the working culture, the clients send test vials to the Australian Labs and then they analyze the vials and send a report to the client. The Australian lab testing center generally tests the samples and analyze it provide a report associated with different diseases. They usually send the report via fax. We can analyze these working steps can be considered as more time consuming as well hectic. Testing, reporting, and collection these are three things which require proper collection and reporting. 1. System development is a process through which a system can be analyzed, created, tested and at last deployed in the working environment. The system development life cycle is applied in the case of Information system. In general, there are different approaches which can be applied for the system development life cycle. I have selected two most popular approached which are Waterfall approach and Agile approach for the project Development. Project managers mostly select these two approached for the project development. Waterfall approach: The waterfall approach is one of the widely used approaches for the project management. The waterfall approach is mainly used to divide the whole project into different objectives. It mostly emphasizes in the planning and time schedule as well project budget. It is considered as one of the tightly controlled project management which can be considered as a loophole with this approach (Maylor and Jones, 1996). Agile Approach: Agile approach is one of the best and most used method for the project management. This method is considered as one of widely used and flexible method for the project management. It promotes adaptive planning and continuous improvement. The agile method for SDLC is considered as one of the widely used methods for the software development. It supports rapid and flexible response towards the change. The agile method first creates a team for the project then planning, coding, testing and at last, the product is demonstrated to the stockholders. It also encourages stockholder association with the project. The development team also contributes their thoughts and approach in between the project. These are some of the benefits of the agile project development approach in SDLC (Maylor and Jones, 1996). The six source of softwares are Information technology services firms In - house developers. cloud computing vendors enterprise - wide solutions packaged software producers open source software Off the shelf softwares are those which are ready made and open to sell to the public. We can use the Off-the-shelf softwares for the Australian Labs with some modifications. If we do some modifications to the software which are needed as per the clients needs. 2. The primary functional requirement for the project in the case of Australian Labs are; There must be a network Infrastructure. Website Database Security system Computer system Barcode generator Scanner Tracking system Internet Barcode reader Non- Functional requirement: There are some non-functional requirements associated with the project. The functional requirement of a system is generally supported by non-functional requirements. These are, Accessibility Performance Security Functionality Robustness Privacy Quality Maintenance Fault Tolerance 3. The project cost-benefit analysis is a total sum up of the money invested in a project and the difference between the equivalent money values of the benefits which are accessed due to the project. In the case of the Australian Labs, the cost-benefit analysis of the company seems to good as the project cost is something lower than the value of the money associated with the benefits. AS total cost for the project is about $ 80, 000. At the very first year the net economic benefit is 0, but from the next year, the economic benefit is about $ 40,000 with a recurring cost of $25,000. The recurring cost is something which is attached to the function of the organization. The increase in the benefit is directly proportional to the increase in the demand. As the system will facilitate the organization to work quickly with the samples and reducing the time associated with the testing and reporting of a sample so the marginal benefit is going to increase with the time. So as per my analysis, the project is going to benefit the organization in long term and cost associated with it is lesser than the return due to benefits (Sassone and Schaffer, 1978). 4: WBS: Gantt Chart This Gantt chart shows the time and the work associated with the project Development. The following project schedule shown in the Gantt chart describes the overall time associated from the starting of the project till the termination of the project. This contains different objectives and milestones. The first is the project selection when the Australian Labs has consulted us for the project work they wanted to create something which is suitable for their organization. The management of both teams agreed upon the time and budget and legally made an agreement or Memorandum of Understanding. As per my views, the project schedule is appropriate, there are different meetings between the stockholders and well as with the team members. The 1-day meeting is aimed to brief about the development in the project and how these are going to benefit the organization. The overall time for the project development is about 12 days which is considered as enough as the company wants the project completed for a limited time so that the working culture of the company does not get affected by the project. The main thing is the training of the employees. The team from the development company will train the employees so that they can effectively work with the new system and utilize the benefits to get work done quickly. 5: Stakeholders are the persons or organizations who are directly or indirectly involved with the project. Internal Stakeholders: Software Developer Project manager System administrator CEO of the company Company staffs Network Engineer System Engineer Project manager from the Australian Labs. Factory manager External Stakeholders: Supplier companies Government authorities Internet providersThe traditional technique for collecting requirements includes different aspects, which are interviewing and listening, making questionnaires, observing the users and analyzing procedures and other relevant documents. These are the 4 methods which are generally needed while making requirements, the interviewing and listening is one of the most used methods. In this process, the team generally interviews the users and find out their views regarding the present and what they want to be induced in future. These help the team in analyzing the situation. The questionnaire is another thing which is created when the numbers of users are in large numbers. In this case, the questionnaire helps the team in analyzing the requirements. If the numbers of users are high then questionnaire can be considered as the best option. The three mostly used traditional methods are ; Interviewing and Listening Creating Questionnaires Observing users All of these three can be considered as relevant in the case of project requirement analysis. The Interview can be conducted if the numbers of users are less and the requirements are directly involved with their work culture. The Questionnaire is also one of the most used methods in requirement analysis, if the organization is big and a company has to conduct requirement analysis then they can simply create a question set which needed to be answered by the employees. This procedure directly reflects the requirements are the development company can choose the most demanded aspect of the project. The last traditional technique is Observing users, in this approach the project team generally observe the users of the system and create a set of requirements based on their observation. In the case of Australian Labs, the users can be interviewed for the requirement analysis (Verma and Institute, 1995). Conclusion: The report is basically made on creating a system for the client company Australian Labs. The client company is involved in the lab testing works with having clients from different parts of the country. I have analyzed the situation and created a WBS as well as Gantt chart to show the required aspects of the project management. Apart from these, I have listed the stockholders who are directly or indirectly involved in the system development. Reference: Anderson, R.J. (2008). Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley Maylor, H. and Jones, D. (1996) Project management. London: Trans-Atlantic Publications. Sassone, P.G. and Schaffer, W.A. (1978) Cost-benefit analysis: A handbook. 8th edn. New York: Academic Press. Verma, V.C. and Institute, P.M. (1995) Organizing projects for success (human aspects of project management). United States: Project Management Institute.

Video Games And Aggression Essays - Violence In Video Games

Video Games And Aggression As technology continues to forge ahead concerns about its effects on the populace are raised. Whether it be microwave ovens causing cancer or cell phones causing accidents, people are always interested in researching, and often condemning, these new products. Such is this case with videogames. Ever since Pong? swept the nation, scholars have been researching videogames effects on children. The most popular aspect of videogame research is whether or not games increase aggression. A video game is any console or PC based interactive game, aggression is any thoughts or behaviors related with the intention to cause harm. Contrary to popular belief, there is no reliable correlation between videogames and aggression. Claims are the backbone to a study; they are both the starting point and the goal. Cooper and Mackie (1986) sought to discover if a highly violent game would affect 4th and 5th grade kids differently than a nonviolent game or a paper-and-pencil game. Tamborini et all (2000) predicted that aggressive thoughts and behaviors would be highest amongst those playing a violent virtual reality game followed by those playing a violent standard game, followed by those playing a nonviolent standard game. Derek (1995) was interested in what effect, if any, playing violent games would have on aggressiveness in different personality types. Ballard and Weist (1996) researched whether the level of violence in a game would affect peoples responses on a hostility questionnaire. Sherry (2000) performed a meta-analysis on 25 video game/aggression studies; he wanted to see if there was any credence to the claims. All five studies are very similar in their intent. They mostly focus on whether the level of immersion (via different hardware, violent content, and/or graphics) affects the level of aggression. To understand a study one must understand the definitions used within that study. All five studies use the same general definition of a videogame that the general public uses; an interactive game played on a television or monitor whereby onscreen objects can be manipulated through the use of a controller. Violent video games are those that involve death and destruction to things resembling reality and/or fantasy. Definitions of aggression, however, differ. Cooper and Mackie (1986) used a childs toy selection and distribution of reward/punishment as an indicator of aggression. Tamborini et all (2000) consider aggression to be hostile thoughts. Derek (1995) defines aggression as a mindset that includes seven subcategories (the Buss-Durkee Inventory): assault, irritability, indirect hostility, negativism, resentment, suspicion, and verbal hostility. Ballard and Weist (1996) use the word hostility instead of aggression. In this case it refers to thoughts of defensiveness, dominance, aggr ession, self-confidence, nurturance, and autonomy. Sherry (2000) just says, and some form of aggressiveness as the dependant variable. The Cooper and Mackie study and the Sherry study are the only two that incorporate behavior in their definition of aggressiveness. All of the others deal only with thoughts, but are quite similar in their intent. The real make-or-break portion of research is the method in which you seek and categorize the data. Cooper and Mackie (1986) took 84 4th and 5th graders from New Jersey. They had equal numbers of boys and girls separated into three groups. One group played the violent game Missile Commander (a cheesy game where you shoot lasers at little dots representing bombs falling on a city), another played Pac Man (which we all know and love), and the control group solved mazes with pencil and paper. After 8 minutes of game play the kids were told to select a toy to play with while the researcher did some work (the researcher was actually observing how long the child play with each toy. They could select a Shogun warrior (a violent toy), Nerf basketball (an active toy), Lincoln Logs (a quiet game), or pop-up pinball (a skill game). Which toy the child selected acted as an indicator of mindset. After the play session the children were told to hold down a button to indicate the length of a time a child should be punished for various acts of insubordination. They were then told to hold down a button for the length of time a child should be rewarded for various good deeds. Tamborini et all (2000) enlisted 92 MSU

Do You Suffer from Computer Stress Syndrome Youre Not Alone

Do You Suffer from Computer Stress Syndrome Youre Not Alone If I had to choose ONE thing that stresses me out me out more than anything else in my work life, it would be computer problems. It might not surprise you that I’m writing this blog because, on this very day, I am ready to tear my hair out due to multiple technical aggravators.There are thousands of articles and probably hundreds of books that talk about how to handle stress. But †¦ do any of them talk specifically about how to handle the stress of heart-stopping technical issues? I couldn’t find any in my admittedly basic-level internet search. I did however find a report entitled Combatting Computer Stress Syndrome that surveyed 1,000+ computer users, finding that two-thirds of them had experienced this phenomenon. Despite being self-proclaimed â€Å"savvy† users, people facing technical snafus had increased stress levels, in tandem with interrupted work or play time, loss of valuable data, dropped network or e-mail connections, and the inability to complete online purchases (that last one somehow did not garner my sympathies). My particular technical snafus today included the inability to access my QuickBooks file, some disappearing and/or inaccessible emails, and problems getting my MacMail to retrieve my business email. At the same time, I am deciding whether or not to begin implementing a CRM system – a project that sends me into overwhelm after just about 2 minutes of thinking about it. Even as I write, my heart is racing and my head pounding. If only there were a yoga class I could escape to at 8pm on a Sunday night! The article about Computer Stress Syndrome offered no solace, as it was focused on the quality of technical support – not on what to do when you are a business owner or other responsible professional facing time-sucking, aggravating and unexpected issues, or issues that you just have a hard time getting your mind around. Of course, decent tech support is essential to keeping stress levels from going through the roof. But needing to be on the phone with tech support at all is often the problem for me. I tend to postpone the inevitable for as long as possible. And what about business-related projects like the CRM that I need to deal with and that I respond to just like I would a technical problem? I would love to hire someone to take care of it for me, but it seems that no matter whom I enroll, I need to make decisions and figure things out so they know how to proceed. In many areas, I have no problem directing people and being involved in decision-making processes. But when it comes to technology I sink. The only thing I can figure out to lower my computer-induced stress levels is to take the time to solve the darned problem. In fact, I could not even complete the writing of this article until I spent an hour with Apple’s tech support team to make at least ONE of my technical issues go away. I think I have some limit, like I can handle it if there are 1-2 technical issues, but 3 or more and I’m toast. I have no further wisdom to share on this topic and am writing to ask for yours. Does anyone out there have a coping mechanism to deal with the insidious Computer Stress Syndrome? If so, please do share. You might change a lot of people’s lives for the better. 😉 I feel your pain. We writers are in a tough situation. We depend upon technology for our livelihoods, but as creatives, we need to escape it to nourish our souls and minds to keep the creative juices flowing. How to strike that balance is tough. Youre on the right track with solving one issue at a time, enlisting help, and escaping when necessary. Thats why I got into belly dancing. Gets me away from the monitor and out of the house, like your yoga. We need that! Just dont go crazy with a baseball bat like in the movie Office Space. But, you can always call me up, if you need someone to vent to. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: March 18, 2014 at 2:05 pm Thank you Kristin! I feel so understood!! Log in to Reply Michelle Robin says: March 18, 2014 at 11:27 pm Besides echoing Kristens advice of dealing with one thing at a time, I know a fantastic Mac technical help guy that specializes in creative professionals. Doing regular maintenance on your computer helps prevent problems. Log in to Reply Terri says: September 17, 2015 at 6:34 pm As someone who has worked in software engineering and studies computer science, technical issues are inevitable no matter how tech savvy you are. I use Windows and Ive probably re-installed the Windows operating system at least 10 times. The good news is that most technical issues can be fixed eventually as long as you are vigilant about backing up your data. If you have a good backup system, you can always recover from technical issues. You can always re-install the software, re-install the operating system, buy new computer parts, etc. So my answer is make sure you have a strong backup system. As long as you still have your data, you can recover. As bad as technical issues can be, losing your data is much much worse. For some advice about backups, see https://www.taobackup.com/ Log in to Reply

Analytical Procedures Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analytical Procedures Report - Essay Example While auditing a client, the analytical procedures are performed by the auditor at all stages of the audit. In planning stage, the analytical procedures are performed to gain a better understanding of the entity and identify and assess any risks that contradict the auditor’s basic understanding of the entity. At performance stage, the analytical procedures are performed as substantive procedures. The use of substantive analytical procedures during the audit increases the efficiency of the audit. The auditor shall also perform analytical procedures near the audit end. Those procedures will help the auditor to form an overall conclusion to evaluate whether the Financial Statements of the entity are consistent with the understanding of the auditor about the entity. During the audit, the analytical procedures may be applied by the auditor on the assertions of Completeness, Existence, Classification and Accuracy. Analytical procedures may be performed through various methods. These methods include simple comparisons and also complex mathematical and statistical analyses using advanced statistical formulae. The following mathematical and statistical tools are mostly used as analytical procedures: Financial ratio analysis Trend analysis Regression analysis Indicators analysis RATIO ANALYSIS: It is the most commonly used technique of financial analysis. The technique uses the study of relationships among several elements of the financial information. Various ratios may be found by using the formulae on the financial information of the company. The comparison may also be made by calculating ratios for the prior periods or the ratios for the competitor company. JD Sports Fashion PLC is a company engaged in selling and distribution sports goods and apparel. The company is the prospective audit client. Sports Direct International PLC is also engaged in the retailing and wholesale distribution of sports clothing, footwear and apparel. Thus, it stands as a strong comp etitor of JD Sports Fashion PLC. Financial Ratio Formulae JD Sports Fashion PLC Sports Direct International PLC 2008 2009 2010 2011 2011 Current Ratio Current Assets/ Current Liabilities 0.95 1.14 1.29 1.45 1.29 Acid Test Ratio Quick Assets/ Current Liabilities 0.30 0.50 0.73 0.87 0.53 Debt Ratio Total Liabilities/ Total Assets 0.57 0.53 0.54 0.50 0.64 Debt Coverage Ratio (Net Profit + Non-cash expense)/ Total debt 0.35 0.44 0.42 0.45 0.21 Return on Assets (Net Income/ Total Assets) x 100% 12.34% 11.11% 13.96% 15.19% 9.08% Return on Total Equity (Net Income/ Total Equity) x 100% 28.48% 23.62% 30.71% 30.35% 25.13% Net Profit Margin (Net Income/ Net Sales) x 100% 3.98% 3.65% 5.55% 6.32% 5.20% Cash Flow from Operations to Net Income Cash Flow from Operations/ Net Income 2.39 2.21 1.77 1.35 2.21 Cash flow Liquidity Ratio (Cash + Marketable Securities)/ Current Liabilities 0.13 0.28 0.49 0.62 0.21 The Ratio analysis, a tool of analytical procedures, may be used while making a decision ab out the financial performance of the entity. This will also assist the auditor to focus on any unusual deviations from expected amounts and thus, to evaluate whether these may cause a significant risk. The above table shows the financial ratios of JD Sports Fash

Course Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Course Work - Essay Example The principle of equity is one of the most important criterions for reward allocation in individualistic culture. This principle gives significant importance towards individual performance and contribution. Here in this theory there is very low scope of free rider. Here employees get their rewards for their individual contributions towards attaining goal (Cullen & Parboteeah, 2014, pp. 34-41). To measure the individual performance, managers across the world use individual performance appraisals. On the other hand the principle of equality talks about equal shares to all individuals. This principle is significantly preferred by collectivist culture. This principle fits in the collectivists values quite nicely. In this principle there is enough scope of free rider. It is being noticed that Chinese managers believe in collectivists’ values and that is why they follow the principle of equality in their reward allocation. On the other hands American managers give more focus towards individual contributions that is why they follow equity principle for their reward allocation. Dirty tricks are cross cultural negotiation strategies generally used to pressurize opponents for accepting undesirable or unfair concessions or agreements. There are several dirty tricks. Deliberate deception is an example of dirty tricks. It is significantly inappropriate for the international negotiation. With the help of deliberate deception profitability can be earned for the short time. The deception cannot be fruitful for the long term business perspective. It can be exposed at any point of time (Moore & Woodrow, 2010, pp. 90-93). Negotiator should clearly point out all the details to avoid this dirty trick. Stalling is also an example of dirty tricks. This trick is not at all suitable for the cross cultural negotiation. It delays the whole negotiation process. Timeliness is an important factor for any negotiation. That important factor is intentionally ignored with

Gender Dysphoria The Social Cultural And Scientific Implications Sociology Essay

Gender Dysphoria The Social Cultural And Scientific Implications Sociology Essay Young people who come to believe they were born into the wrong sex are more prone to post-traumatic stress disorder, physical and violent abuse, and self harming behaviour. An American study that questioned young adults about their childhood beliefs and practices found that 39% of women, who experienced the highest level of gender uncertainty, endured some type of abuse, as did 30% of men, according to Andrea L. Roberts, PhD, of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues. And among children and teens evaluated for medical intervention to suppress puberty or for hormone therapy, 44% had been given a psychiatric diagnosis most often depression and 21% reported self-mutilation, reported Norman P. Spack, MD, of Harvard Medical School and Childrens Hospital Boston, and colleagues. It is clear that ones gender identity can be and is influenced by numerous factors, in particular chromosome type, genitalia, the environment and social factors. Many people consider themselves to be cisgender, that is, belonging to either the male or female gender corresponding to their assigned at birth sex of male or female. Before the 20th century, someones sex would be determined entirely by the appearance of the genitalia, but as chromosomes and genes came to be understood, these were then used to help determine true sex. Those defined as women, by sex, have genitalia considered female, as well as two X chromosomes; those viewed as men, by sex, are seen as having male genitalia, one X and one Y chromosome. However, some individuals have a combination of these chromosomes, hormones, and genitalia that do not follow the traditional definitions of men and women. In addition, genitalia vary greatly or individuals may have more than one type of genitalia. Also, other bodily attributes related to a persons sex (body shape, facial hair, high or deep voice, etc.) may or may not coincide with the social category, as woman or man. A survey of the research literature from 1955-2000 suggests that as many as one in every hundred individuals may have some intersex characteristic. Intersex phenomena are not unique to humans. In a number of species, even more striking examples exist, for instance the bilateral gynandromorphic zebra finch (half-male, half-female body along its symmetry plane). The definition of gender identity is a widely contested topic. In the majority of Western culture, there exists a so-called gender binary whereby sex and gender are divided into two non-overlapping, opposite and, disconnected, domains: masculine and feminine. Although the formation of gender identity is not completely understood, many factors have been suggested as influencing its development. Biological factors that may influence gender identity include pre- and post-natal hormone levels and gene regulation. Social factors which may influence gender identity include gender messages conveyed by family, mass media, and other institutions. Ones gender identity is also influenced by the social learning theory, which assumes that children develop their gender identity through observing and imitating gender-linked behaviours, and then being rewarded or punished for behaving that way. In some cases, a persons gender identity may be inconsistent with their biological sex characteristics, re sulting in individuals dressing and/or behaving in a way which is perceived by others as being outside cultural gender norms; these gender expressions may be described as gender variant or transgender. So, it becomes apparent that gender identity can be influenced by many factors. As a consequence, many problems surrounding gender identity can arise. The most common of these is known as Gender Identity Disorder, which is defined as formal diagnosis used by psychologists and physicians to describe persons who experience significant gender dysphoria. GID is often depicted in the media. Television episodes of Chicago Hope, ER and Law Order, have all had plots based upon the topic. Three celebrated feature films, Glen or Glenda? in 1953, Ma Vie en Rose in 1997 and Boys Dont Cry in 1999, have also presented an alternative view on the subject. Twelfth Night: Shakespeares play on Gender Dysphoria. In the play, Shakespeare links to the Eve of the feast of Epiphany: it was originally a Catholic holiday but prior to the Elizabethan era it had become a day of revelry. The servants wore their masters clothes, men dressed as women, and so on. This history of celebratory rituals provided the cultural backdrop for the plot of Shakespeares play, which centres around gender dysphoria. More recently, we have of course seen the success of Barry Humphries who has led an entire career impersonating a woman named Dame Edna Everidge, (whom has only recently been retired). Little Britain: I am a Lady! sketch (for presentation.) Cabaret Kenneth J. Zucker, in his GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL DISORDERS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia) third gender Punjabis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa%27afafine third gender Samoans Testosterone and Oestrogen their differing effects on the determining of gender. Can gender reassignment surgery include a neurological aspect; in other words, can the male brain be rewired to that of a female, and vice versa? Can the pharmacology aspect of gender reassignment be gradually phased out in favour of a neurological approach? Key syndromes that create gender uncertainty Turners Syndrome Kleinfelders Syndrome Ethics of hormone supplements and gender reassignment surgery with particular reference to GRS in the young. Can a minor be capable of choosing their own gender / going against their DNA heritage / gender from birth when he/she is legally not able to drive, smoke, drink in public, be responsible for criminal actions? Numerous cases of sex-change regret : ___________________________________________________________________________________________ It is certainly true that gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, transsexualism, and gender identity as a whole, are topical subjects. Arguably they are considered taboo, since to many they are unnatural and bizarre issues. Indeed, up until the early 20th century, discussion of gender identity and factors influencing gender identity rarely occurred outside a scientific context. Nowadays, disorders concerning gender are becoming more recognised and discussed by the wider community because of the (often negative) media coverage of such disorders. Nevertheless, it would seem that more progress can be made in terms of the way in which people with such conditions as Gender Identity disorder are treated, both in the medical world and by society. One particular statistic which highlights this fact is the following: An American study  [1]  that questioned young adults about their childhood beliefs and practices found that 39% of women, who experienced the highest level of gender dys phoria, endured some type of abuse, as did 30% of men. Many people consider themselves to be cisgender, that is, belonging to either the male or female gender corresponding to their assigned at birth sex of male or female. Before the 20th century, someones sex would be determined entirely by the appearance of the genitalia, but as chromosomes and genes came to be understood, these were then used to help determine true sex. Broadly speaking, there are two groups of hormones, the androgens and the oestrogens, with the androgens promoting the development of male characteristics by binding to certain androgen receptors that regulate the expression of numerous genes; androgen regulated genes are critical for the development and maintenance of the male sexual phenotype. The oestrogens promote the development of female characteristics by binding to intracellular oestrogen receptors, which in turn regulate the expression of numerous genes. Oestrogen regulated genes are, conversely, critical for the development and maintenance of the male sexual phenotype. Of the androgens, testosterone is the most crucial and well known, because in men it plays a key role in the development of reproductive tissues such as the testes and prostate as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle, bone mass, and the growth of body hair  [2]  . Those defined as women, by sex, have genitalia considered female, as well as two X chromosomes; those viewed as men, by sex, are seen as having male genitalia, one X and one Y chromosome. However, some individuals have an inconsistent combination of these chromosomes, hormones, and genitalia that do not cohere with the traditional definitions of men and women. Also, other bodily attributes related to a persons sex (body shape, facial hair, high or deep voice) may or may not coincide with the social category, as either woman or man. A survey of the extensive research literature between 1955-2000 suggests that as many as one in every hundred individuals may have some inte rsex characteristic. Intersex phenomena are not unique to humans. In a number of species, even more striking examples exist, for instance the bilateral gynandomorphic zebra finch (half-male, half-female body along its symmetry plane). At this point, it is important to define the three key terms: gender identity, sex, and gender role. Gender identity is the psychological recognition of oneself, as well as the wish to be recognised by others as fitting into one of the social categories  [3]  , (man or woman, boy or girl.) Sex is the more technical term concerned with the bodily anatomy: it is the physical differentiation as male or female, indicated by the external appearance of the genitalia and the presence of gonads (testes in boys, ovaries in girls) which will then determine reproductive function, as well as differences in brain structure and function  [4]  . Gender role is the role in society the interaction with others which both gives expression to the inner gender identity and reinforces it. Despite the greater gender equality in modern Western culture in terms of: the subjects studied in school and at university; the choice of friends; work and domestic arrangements; dress and leisure pursuits, the re is still a presumption of conformity to societys pre-requisites about what is appropriate for a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, especially in terms of form  [5]  . Too great a deviation from the pre-requisites tends to result in reactions of anxiety from bystanders and often the bullying of those who exhibit these deviations: people with gender identity disorder and/or transgender people. Gender dysphoria appears frequently in cultures of many different heritages. The term third sex, which means individuals that are neither man nor woman, but rather lie in between the two gender categories. The term can be applied to the Faafafine people of Polynesia, the Sworn Virgins of the Balkans, the hijras of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and others. A significant discussion of gender identity arose when Beck Laxton, a 46 year old mother from Cambridgeshire, announced publicly her ambition to raise her son to be gender-neutral. When asked why, she responded: Because I wanted to avoid all that stereotyping stereotypes seem fundamentally stupid. Why would you want to slot people into boxes? Its like horoscopes: what could be stupider than thinking there are 12 types of personality that depend on when you were born? Its so idiotic. But numerous critics of Laxtons position have highlighted that her decision will likely expose her child to bullying in later life. An adolescent diso rder of anxiety or depression related to gender dysphoria or sexual orientation has been classified as sexual maturation disorder by the WHO under Psychological and behavioural disorders associated with sexual development and orientation.  [6]