title: Internet addiction disorder

text: In response, the South Korea government has launched the first Internet prevention center in the world, the Jump Up Internet Rescue School, where the most severely addicted teens are treated with full governmental financial aid. As of 2007, the government has built a network of 140 Internet-addiction counseling centers besides treatment programs at around 100 hospitals. Typically, counselor- and instructor-led music therapy and equine therapy and other real-life group activities including military-style obstacle courses and therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming are used to divert IAs' attention and interest from screens.


title: Internet addiction disorder

text: In 2011, the Korean government introduced the "Shutdown law", also known as the "Cinderella Act", to prevent children under 16 years old from playing online games from midnight (12:00) to 6 a.m.


title: Internet addiction disorder

text: Many cases of social withdrawal have been occurring in Japan since the late 1990s which inclines people to stay indoors most of the time. The term used for this is hikikomori, and it primarily affects the youth of Japan in that they are less inclined to leave their residences. Internet addiction can contribute to this effect because of how it diminishes social interactions and gives young people another reason to stay at home for longer. Many of the hikikomori people in Japan are reported to have friends in their online games, so they will experience a different kind of social interaction which happens in a virtual space.


title: Nicolás González (footballer, born 1998)

text: Nicolás Iván González (born 6 April 1998) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Argentina national team.


text: After over ten years in the club's youth system, González made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors in a 2015–16 Copa Argentina defeat to Deportivo Laferrere of Primera C Metropolitana in July 2016. He made his Primera B Nacional debut on 28 August against San Martín prior to scoring the first of his four goals in 2016–17 on 23 April 2017, getting the winner versus Atlético Paraná. In total, González made twenty appearances in 2016–17, a season which ended with Argentinos winning promotion to the Argentine Primera División. He scored on his first top-flight start, scoring the opening goal in a defeat to Belgrano.


text: On 10 July 2018, González signed a five-year contract with VfB Stuttgart. He scored twice on his unofficial debut for the club, netting in a friendly victory over FV Illertissen on 18 July. His first competitive goal arrived during a home loss to Schalke 04 on 22 December. They were relegated at the end of 2018–19, with González subsequently scoring the winner on his 2. Bundesliga bow against FC St. Pauli on 17 August 2019. He scored consecutive braces in June 2020 against Sandhausen and Nürnberg; the latter fixture was his 100th league appearance for Stuttgart.


text: On 23 June 2021, González signed a five-year contract with Serie A club Fiorentina until 2026. On 13 August, González made his debut for Fiorentina in a 4–0 win against Serie B side Cosenza in the first round of Coppa Italia scoring the second goal in the 37th minute.


text: In July 2019, González received a call-up from the Argentina Olympic Team for that year's Pan American Games in Peru. After receiving a red card on debut versus Ecuador, he played again in the semi-final and the gold medal match when Argentina won the tournament. Months later, González was selected by Lionel Scaloni's senior team for the first time ahead of October friendlies with Germany and Ecuador. He did not feature in the matchday squad against Germany, but did appear for his international bow during a 6–1 victory over Ecuador at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero in Elche on 13 October.


text: González scored his first goal for Argentina on 12 November 2020 in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Paraguay during a crucial match that ended 1–1. He netted again days later versus Peru.


text: González was a member of the 2021 Copa América winning side, making five appearances in the tournament, four as a starter and one as substitute in the final against Brazil. He was also called up to Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, but was forced to withdraw with a muscular injury three days before the start of the tournament, being replaced by Ángel Correa.


title: Missundaztood

text: Missundaztood is the second studio album by American singer Pink. It was released on November 20, 2001, by Arista Records. After the success of "Can't Take Me Home", her 2000 debut album, Pink became dissatisfied with her lack of creative control and being marketed as a white R&B singer. Aspiring to follow a rawer, rock-inspired musical direction, she began working on the album with Linda Perry after finding Perry's phone number in her makeup artist's phone book. Instead of relying on popular producers, Pink decided to collaborate with producers and artists who inspired her and enlisted help from Dallas Austin, Damon Elliott, Marti Frederiksen, and Scott Storch. "Missundaztood" also features guest appearances by Perry, Scratch, Steven Tyler, and guitarist Richie Supa.


title: Missundaztood

text: The album was produced at a number of recording studios during 2001. Pink contributed significantly to the songwriting process, drawing on her experiences and vulnerabilities. The music contains introspective themes of personal insecurities, loneliness, self-identity, and family problems. Unlike the upbeat, R&B production of her previous album, "Missundaztood" is a pop rock record. It contains elements of a variety of other genres, including blues, metal, hip hop, new wave, and disco. Before the album's release, Pink had a conflict with her record label about artistic freedom. Arista initially rejected her new musical approach, fearing that her abandonment of R&B music would result in commercial failure.


title: Missundaztood

text: To promote the album, Pink made televised performances and embarked on her Party Tour in 2002. Four singles supported "Missundaztood", three of which peaked in the top 10 of the US "Billboard" Hot 100: "Get the Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", and "Just Like a Pill". A worldwide commercial succes, the album reached number one in Ireland and the top five on album charts in Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received multi-platinum certifications in other countries. The album sold 12 million copies worldwide and is Pink's best-selling album.


title: Missundaztood

text: A critical success, observers regarded "Missundaztood" as a significant progression from "Can't Take Me Home" and an artistic breakthrough for Pink. Most music critics praised the album's emotional depth and blending of styles; others appreciated Pink's vocal performances and songwriting. At the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, "Missundaztood" was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. Critics have praised Pink in retrospect for reinventing her music and increasing her creative control, calling "Missundaztood" distinguished and remarkable.


title: Missundaztood

text: Pink released "Can't Take Me Home", her debut studio album, in April 2000 on LaFace Records. The album is an R&B and dance-pop record with hip-hop influences. Produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface, it was a commercial success and sold over three million copies worldwide. "Can't Take Me Home" had a mixed critical reception, however, with many critics saying that its sound was too similar to that of American girl groups Destiny's Child and TLC. Despite "Can't Take Me Home" success, Pink felt dissatisfied and constrained by her lack of creative control and being marketed to a teen audience as an R&B singer. Her father, Jim Moore, said in an October 2000 MTV News interview that Pink expressed interest in experimenting and showcasing her versatility on her forthcoming album. She sought to create an album reflective of the musical influences with which she grew up, resembling the music of Annie Lennox and Method Man.


title: Missundaztood

text: Pink stumbled upon the phone book of her makeup artist, Billy Brasfield, during a spring 2001 photo shoot for "Teen". She discovered the number of Linda Perry, lead singer of the former American alternative rock band 4 Non Blondes. Pink cited "Bigger, Better, Faster, More!" (1992) as one of her favorite albums when she was growing up, and called Perry her "childhood idol". She noted Perry's number and called her, leaving a 10-minute message on her answering machine. According to Pink, the message was about "how much I loved [Perry] and how she owes me because I got arrested singing her music out of my window at 3:30 in the morning, and how I'm gonna stalk her if she doesn't return my call".


title: Missundaztood

text: A few minutes later, Perry called Pink back and invited her to her house in Los Angeles. When Pink suggested writing a song with her, however, Perry was initially reluctant. In an interview with the "San Francisco Chronicle", Perry said: "I told [Pink] 'I'm not hip at all. I make low-fi, garage-sounding classic rock records Pink responded, "I know — that's what I want". Afterward, Pink met Perry. "Missundaztood" recording sessions began in Perry's home studio, with Perry at the piano asking Pink to express her feelings in a melody. Pink felt "petrified" and confused at first, since she was accustomed to a different creative process. As Perry began to play chords over a rough instrumental, Pink picked up a microphone and started to ad-lib. In about five minutes, they wrote and recorded "Eventually". Its lyrics were improvised, and Pink's vocals were recorded in one take. Perry described the song's creation as emotional, helping Pink to feel comfortable and understood during the recording process.


title: Missundaztood

text: A week before meeting Pink, Perry worked on a song titled "Get the Party Started". Unfamiliar with new musical technology, Perry decided to call a friend and ask him about it. She then purchased equipment, including a Korg Triton synthesizer, an Akai MPC, a TASCAM DA-88 recorder, and Roland expansion cards. Perry originally had no goal in mind, and was "just figuring out what all [that] stuff does". She programmed her first beat, and made extensive use of a bass guitar, a horn sample, and looping "weird chords and sounds". Perry finished the song by including "every catch phrase you possibly could imagine", before laughing at the realization that she had written her first dance song. Aware of its commercial appeal, Perry unsuccessfully offered "Get the Party Started" to Madonna. She brought the song to Pink's attention soon after the "Missundaztood" sessions began, and Pink agreed to record it.


title: Missundaztood

text: Pink moved into Perry's home for several months. They intended to write 25 songs for the album, and spent their time "kicking around ideas". The sessions in Perry's home studio yielded about 20 tracks in a month and a half, emphasizing introspection and emotional discovery. Working with Perry was an essential factor in Pink's decision to take artistic control of her album. She wanted to abandon the R&B "marketing concept" of "Can't Take Me Home" and capture reflections on her past, her vulnerabilities, and her insecurities. Pink considered the album's creation "amazing, liberating, inspiring", and felt that she and Perry had forged "five years of friendship in six months". About her working relationship with Pink, Perry said: "What happened was that we were able to open up to each other ... she completely abandoned what she was told she was supposed to be, and just became Alecia Moore".


title: Missundaztood

text: After signing with LaFace in 1996, Pink met Dallas Austin. Austin generally disapproved of Pink's R&B direction, and his sessions for "Can't Take Me Home" were unproductive; however, she wanted to work with him again on her forthcoming album. They pursued a pop rock sound, and the material they had written took on an autobiographical form. Austin co-wrote and produced four songs on "Missundaztood" ("18 Wheeler", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Just Like a Pill", and "Numb"), all of which have introspective lyrics. Austin encouraged Pink to be more daring in her songwriting: "When you're writing songs, you're not just writing a song, you're helping craft the attitude".


title: Missundaztood

text: Pink worked with Scott Storch on "Family Portrait", a song which originated as a poem Pink wrote at age nine. The track explores her parents' divorce, and growing up in a dysfunctional family. Reflecting on these themes, Pink acknowledged how this affected her life was and decided to express her suffering through a song: "It makes me sad, but it also helped release some of my feelings ... Pain is not always a bad thing. It can be a learning thing". Another collaborator was Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler. One of Pink's musical inspirations, she met Tyler at a radio show in New York. They bonded quickly, and planned to record a song together. "Misery" had been written by Richie Supa and co-produced with Marti Frederiksen. Tyler brought the song to Pink, who loved it and recorded it with him. She described the collaboration as "an experience of a lifetime".


title: Missundaztood

text: Pink had begun working with Perry on "Missundaztood" without the knowledge of her record label. After a few sessions, she played four songs (including "Get the Party Started") for producer L.A. Reid. Although he considered that song a lead single choice, Reid rejected most of the other material. Two weeks later, he and Pink met in Miami. Reid was concerned about Pink departing from her R&B sound, alienating an audience who was expecting another album like "Can't Take Me Home". Her desire for more creative control met with resistance (since she was a new artist), but Reid failed to persuade Pink to record more R&B songs. After a vigorous dispute, he relented and gave Pink "the opportunity to fail". Reid called the completed album a "masterpiece", however: "There was no doubt that it would be a huge record". Pink discussed the danger of changing musical genres with the "Los Angeles Times":


title: Missundaztood

text: I knew the risk involved. I'd seen artists change styles and fail miserably, but I've also seen artists change and continue to do well. That's why Madonna has always been an inspiration for me. I told him I had faith in my ability and I was willing to take the chance. And I have so much respect for [Reid] because he turned around during that meeting. By the end, he said, "OK, let's do it".


title: Missundaztood

text: "Missundaztood" is a significant departure from the upbeat R&B style of Pink's debut album. It is primarily a pop rock album with an eclectic mix of musical styles. According to Ed Condran of "The Philadelphia Inquirer", the album spans a variety of musical genres, from pop, rock, and disco to R&B, blues, and hip hop. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described its musical influences as "late-'80s, metal-spiked album rock, modern hip-hop and dance", with "dazzling modern pop production". An E! Online reviewer said that the album draws from "'80s new wave, alternative rock, unashamed radio pop, and R&B". MTV News journalist Jennifer Schonborn said that its fusion of styles has a "strangely" coherent quality. According to music writer Paul Lester, "Missundaztood" diverse musical textures "shouldn't have fit together, but defied all odds and did." Kate Sullivan of "Spin" called Pink's direction "a rebellion against the producer-driven machinery that created her 2000 debut, "Can't Take Me Home"".


title: Missundaztood

text: The album's songs are characterized by a "harder, edgier, rock sound". "PopMatters" Jason Thompson wrote that "Missundaztood" production melds "a funky ass bass line" with "some simple electric rhythm guitar and a spare synth line". "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Just Like a Pill" are driven by rock-influenced electric guitars. "Get the Party Started" features vocodered vocals and elements of dance pop and new wave. The sixth track on the record, "18 Wheeler", has been cited by critics for its arena rock influences and rock instrumentation. Pink sings over a pop-R&B instrumentation combining a "snare" piano and strings on "Family Portrait". The blues rock ballad "Misery" has "gritty" vocals and a guitar solo by Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora. It is followed by "Dear Diary", with a trip hop beat. "Numb" is an electropop song with grunge metal elements which, according to Lester, resemble the music of Nirvana. The last track on "Missundaztood", "My Vietnam", is a rock-neofolk ballad set to an acoustic guitar played by Perry. Towards the end of the song, a sonic interpolation of Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner" is heard.


title: Missundaztood

text: The lyrics on "Missundaztood" explore personal topics such as self-identity, loneliness, family issues, self-doubt, and rebellion. The album's title alludes to Pink's feeling of being misunderstood: "I say the wrong things, I tell the truth, which tends to get me in trouble, and I'm a very eclectic person, so I feel that's misunderstood, as well." ABC News called it "a guidebook to teenage angst told through the excruciating detail of Pink's childhood". Todd Burns of "Stylus Magazine" said that Pink "emerges as a conflicted and deeply troubled artist that is unafraid to confront her demons". The album's subjects were described by the music journalist Greg Kot as "autobiographical tunes that balance vulnerability with toughness". Sadie Jo Smokey of "The Arizona Republic" compared it to early 1990s music, "when women sang about issues and experiences". According to the "Michigan Daily" journalist Devon Thomas, "Missundaztood" introspective lyrics reveal "a surprising sense of vulnerability".


title: Missundaztood

text: The title track is an "optimistic and spunky" song. On "Don't Let Me Get Me", Pink describes her feelings of inadequacy and self-hatred. According to Kot, the song can be interpreted as "[Pink's] own abjection as a teenager who never found a peer group to belong to". Its lyrics also explore Pink's frustrations with the music industry: "L.A. told me, 'You'll be a pop star / All you have to change is everything you are.' / Tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears / She's so pretty, that just ain't me". Thompson described the song as an attempt "to break free from the image making machine". The next song, "Just Like a Pill", uses drug references as a metaphor for unhealthy relationships. The track also explores substance abuse and personal insecurities. "Get the Party Started" differs significantly from the album's primary introspection, suggesting "a fun, independent woman emerging to take charge".


title: Missundaztood

text: "Respect" has a female-empowerment message. On "18 Wheeler", Pink explores accepting abuse before saying that "nothing will keep her down". Family struggles are among the themes of "Family Portrait". The song's emotive lyrics describe the tempestuous relationship of Pink's parents, which led to their divorce. On "Lonely Girl", Perry asks Pink "Do you even know who you are? / Do you even know what you have?" Schonborn said that Pink has difficulty answering; the song is "fraught with uncertainty and doubt". The lyrics of "Dear Diary" explore disillusionment and abandonment, and "Numb" deals with mourning a defunct relationship. It is followed by "Gone to California", a socially-minded track. The album ends with "My Vietnam", examines Pink's self-discovery. Its lyrics explore her father's military service in the Vietnam War and its aftermath on his and his life and Pink's. According to Lester, the song uses "the image of battle as a metaphor for [Pink's] turbulent upbringing".


title: Missundaztood

text: "Missundaztood" was released on November 20, 2001, on Arista Records. The album was released in several European countries on January 28, 2002, with a different track order and the bonus track "Catch-22". Its deluxe edition was released on November 26, 2002, including the standard version of the album on CD and a DVD with music videos for "Family Portrait" and "Don't Let Me Get Me" and live performances of "Numb" and "Family Portrait" at Scala in London. The album was released on vinyl in October 2017.


title: Missundaztood

text: Four singles were released from the album: "Get the Party Started" on October 16, 2001; "Don't Let Me Get Me" on February 18, 2002; "Just Like a Pill" on June 10, and "Family Portrait" on September 16 of that year. All peaked in the top 20 of the "Billboard" Hot 100, with the first three peaking in the top 10. Pink promoted "Missundaztood" through her performances at the "Billboard" Music Awards, the Kids' Choice Awards, the MTV Asia Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards. She also appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman", "Saturday Night Live", and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". European promotion included performances on "Wetten, dass..?" and at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Pink embarked on the Party Tour, her first headlining tour, in 2002 to support the album.


title: Missundaztood

text: "Missundaztood" debuted at number eight on the US "Billboard" 200 chart, selling 220,000 copies for the week of December 8, 2001. It peaked at number six on January 26, 2002, and spent a total of 90 weeks on the chart. In the United States, "Missundaztood" ranked sixth among the best-selling albums of 2002, with sales of 3.1 million copies. On October 22, 2003, the album was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of five million copies. In Canada, "Missundaztood" peaked at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified quintuple platinum by Music Canada (MC) for shipments of 500,000 copies.


title: Missundaztood

text: In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart. The album peaked at number two (behind Avril Lavigne's "Let Go") for the week of January 18, 2003, almost a year after its release. It sold 1.86 million copies in the UK by February 2021, and was certified sextuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album topped the Irish Albums chart for the week ending January 9, 2003, its best international charting. "Missundaztood" peaked in the top five of album charts in Scotland (number two); Austria, New Zealand and Norway (number four), and Germany, Iceland and the Netherlands (number five). It received multi-platinum certifications in Germany, Switzerland (double platinum); Australia, and New Zealand (quadruple platinum). The album sold 12 million copies worldwide by November 2003, becoming Pink's best-selling album.


title: Missundaztood

text: "Missundaztood" received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 72 based on 15 reviews. "The Tampa Tribune"s Cloe Cabrera described the album as "an edgy, rock-driven set", praising its focus on "loneliness, family discord and [Pink's] refusal to fit in". Erlewine praised the album's mixture of "bewildering" sounds and attitudes with painful subjects, adding that "there hasn't been a record in the mainstream this vibrant or this alive in a long, long time".


title: Missundaztood

text: Thomas was impressed by Pink's "heartfelt and revealing" lyrics and "assured and confident" vocals, calling "Missundaztood" "an introspective charmer that shows the promise and versatility evident in a young and rising star." Smokey said that the album eschews the "slick pop-R&B diva image" of "Can't Take Me Home" in favor of a rock direction. For "Billboard", Rashaun Hall called it "a rock-fused, hook-friendly set" and cited "Numb" and "Lonely Girl" as indicating Pink's versatility.


title: Missundaztood

text: Thompson saw the album as "cover[ing] such a wide array of style and substance", and highlighted Pink's songwriting. Caroline Sullivan of "The Guardian" viewed it as "an unusually three-dimensional picture of growing up in a broken home", and found it "surprisingly good". Keri Callahan praised the album's honest lyrics and catchiness, which "echoes optimism and survival", in "The Boston Globe". In "Entertainment Weekly", Jim Farber said that "Missundaztood" "captures girlish confusion with greater accuracy and delight" than Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" (1995) did, and Pink sounds "like Cyndi Lauper's long lost stepsister".


title: Missundaztood

text: Sal Cinquemani of "Slant Magazine" praised the album's diverse sound, which "differentiates [Pink] from the pop pack", and called Pink's vulnerability "striking and seemingly more authentic" than "Can't Take Me Home". For "The Village Voice", Robert Christgau called the portrayal of "credible personal pain rooted in credible family travails" "a next step for a genre I never thought would take one". "Rolling Stone" critic Rob Sheffield called the album "the teen-pop "In Utero"", and appreciated Pink's expressive songwriting.


title: Missundaztood

text: Other reviewers were less enthusiastic. "Los Angeles Times" writer Natalie Nichols unfavorably compared "Missundaztood" with "Can't Take Me Home", referring to its "tendency to sound vaguely familiar". Alex Pappademas of "Blender" wrote, "Pink sees herself as a singer whose talent defies boundaries, but the melodic shortcomings of "Missundaztood" show that those eye-popping videos aside, she's no Madonna." "NME"s Jim Alexander gave the album 1.5 of five stars, criticizing its overall content.


title: Missundaztood

text: "Missundaztood" received nominations for Album of the Year at the 2002 "Billboard" Music Awards, Best Album at the 2002 MTV Europe Music Awards, Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the 2003 American Music Awards, and Best International Album at the 23rd Brit Awards. At the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003, "Missundaztood" was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album; its single, "Get the Party Started", was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.


title: Missundaztood

text: "Missundaztood" release coincided with the declining popularity of teen pop music. Sia Michel of "Spin" credited the album's success with the coming of age of former teen-pop fans and their growing interest in different types of music. For "The Guardian", Dorian Lynskey attributed Pink's new popularity to the "lucrative and untapped market" of "teenage girls who may have liked Britney three years ago but now have a taste for low-key rebellion, the Osbournes and boys with tattoos". Most critics praised the album for its musical departure from contemporary music and altering the industry's perception of Pink as an artist. Thompson called "Missundaztood" bold, and praised Pink for "breaking away from the stereotypes and misconceptions regarding pop stars". Robert Hilburn wrote for the "Los Angeles Times" that Pink's reinvention (and its potential commercial impact) was initially questioned, but was later "a move industry observers now applaud as brilliant". Idolators Jon Reyes said that "Missundaztood" "defied expectations both in sound and themes". Barry Walters of "Rolling Stone" cited the album as one of "one of the most radical R&B to-rock transformations since Prince abandoned disco for a "Dirty Mind" [(1980)]".


title: Missundaztood

text: In her 2019 book, "White Negroes", Lauren Michele Jackson compared Pink's rebellious artistic transformation with Janet Jackson's "Control" (1986). According to Jackson, Pink's choice to leave the black-dominated R&B industry would "ultimately keep her apart from her peers". In a 2021 retrospective, Arielle Gordon of "Stereogum" said that Pink's opposition to her label's pressure to remain an R&B singer "somehow wrestled autonomy of her image and sound in an industry practically fueled by harnessing complete control of their young, primarily female stars." "People" editor Lanford Beard called "Missundaztood" "a career-shaping album", which helped establish Pink as a "prolific creator of 'autobiographical songs filled with attitude. Pink said in a 2019 interview with "Variety", "["Missundaztood"] was a huge turning point in my life. But before it came out, I was being told that it's going to completely fail. Still, I was stoked to be given the opportunity to fail".


title: Missundaztood

text: The album's success enhanced Perry's songwriting career, and she wrote songs with Alicia Keys, Courtney Love, and Gwen Stefani. Perry recalled that her life "took a complete turn" after the release of "Missundaztood" and its lead single, "Get the Party Started", and working with Pink helped her discover that "helping artists with their vision is kind of cool". Christina Aguilera cited "Missundaztood" as a contributing factor to enlisting Perry as a collaborators for her fourth studio album, "Stripped" (2002): "I wasn't a big fan of the Dallas Austin songs, but I really, really loved the Linda Perry songs. They had a really personal, real sense about them."


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin is a 32 amino acid peptide hormone secreted by parafollicular cells (also known as C cells) of the thyroid (or endostyle) in humans and other chordates. in the ultimopharyngeal body. It acts to reduce blood calcium (Ca), opposing the effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH).


title: Calcitonin

text: Its importance in humans has not been as well established as its importance in other animals, as its function is usually not significant in the regulation of normal calcium homeostasis. It belongs to the calcitonin-like protein family.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin is formed by the proteolytic cleavage of a larger prepropeptide, which is the product of the CALC1 gene (). It is functionally an antagonist with PTH and Vitamin D3. The CALC1 gene belongs to a superfamily of related protein hormone precursors including islet amyloid precursor protein, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and the precursor of adrenomedullin.


title: Calcitonin

text: The hormone participates in calcium (Ca) metabolism. In many ways, calcitonin counteracts parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D.


title: Calcitonin

text: High concentrations of calcitonin may be able to increase urinary excretion of calcium and phosphate via the renal tubules. leading to marked hypocalcemia. However, this is a minor effect with no physiological significance in humans. It is also a short-lived effect because the kidneys become resistant to calcitonin, as demonstrated by the kidney's unaffected excretion of calcium in patients with thyroid tumors that secrete excessive calcitonin.


title: Calcitonin

text: In its skeleton-preserving actions, calcitonin protects against calcium loss from the skeleton during periods of calcium mobilization, such as pregnancy and, especially, lactation. The protective mechanisms include the direct inhibition of bone resorption and the indirect effect through the inhibition of the release of prolactin from the pituitary gland. The reason provided is that prolactin induces the release of PTH related peptide which enhances bone resorption, but is still under investigation.


title: Calcitonin

text: Other effects are in preventing postprandial hypercalcemia resulting from absorption of Ca. Also, calcitonin inhibits food intake in rats and monkeys, and may have CNS action involving the regulation of feeding and appetite.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin lowers blood calcium and phosphorus mainly through its inhibition of osteoclasts. Osteoblasts do not have calcitonin receptors and are therefore not directly affected by calcitonin levels. However, since bone resorption and bone formation are coupled processes, eventually calcitonin's inhibition of osteoclastic activity leads to increased osteoblastic activity (as an indirect effect).


title: Calcitonin

text: The calcitonin receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor localized to osteoclasts as well kidney and brain cells. It is coupled to a Gα subunit, thus stimulating cAMP production by adenylate cyclase in target cells. It may also affect the ovaries in women and the testes in men.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin was first purified in 1962 by Douglas Harold Copp and B. Cheney at the University of British Columbia, Canada. It was initially thought to be secreted by the parathyroid gland but was shown by Iain Macintyre and his team at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, to be secreted by parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland. Dr. Copp named the discovered hormone calcitonin because of its role in 'maintaining normal calcium tone'.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin assay is used in identifying patients with nodular thyroid diseases. It is helpful in making an early diagnosis of medullary carcinoma of thyroid. A malignancy of the parafollicular cells, i.e. Medullary thyroid cancer, typically produces an elevated serum calcitonin level. Prognosis of MTC depends on early detection and treatment.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin also has significantly impacted molecular biology, as the gene encoding calcitonin was the first gene discovered in mammalian cells to be alternatively spliced, now known to be a ubiquitous mechanism in eukaryotes.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin has clinically been used for metabolic bone disorders for more than 50 years. Salmon calcitonin is used for the treatment of:


title: Calcitonin

text: Salmon calcitonin is rapidly absorbed and eliminated. Peak plasma concentrations are attained within the first hour of administration.


title: Calcitonin

text: Animal studies have shown that calcitonin is primarily metabolised via proteolysis in the kidney following parenteral administration. The metabolites lack the specific biological activity of calcitonin. Bioavailability following subcutaneous and intramuscular injection in humans is high and similar for the two routes of administration (71% and 66%, respectively).


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin has short absorption and elimination half-lives of 10–15 minutes and 50–80 minutes, respectively. Salmon calcitonin is primarily and almost exclusively degraded in the kidneys, forming pharmacologically inactive fragments of the molecule. Therefore, the metabolic clearance is much lower in patients with end-stage kidney failure than in healthy subjects. However, the clinical relevance of this finding is not known. Plasma protein binding is 30% to 40%.


title: Calcitonin

text: There is a relationship between the subcutaneous dose of calcitonin and peak plasma concentrations. Following parenteral administration of 100 IU calcitonin, peak plasma concentration lies between about 200 and 400 pg/ml. Higher blood levels may be associated with increased incidence of nausea, vomiting, and secretory diarrhea.


title: Calcitonin

text: Conventional long-term toxicity, reproduction, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity studies have been performed in laboratory animals. Salmon calcitonin is devoid of embryotoxic, teratogenic, and mutagenic potential.


title: Calcitonin

text: An increased incidence of pituitary adenomas has been reported in rats given synthetic salmon calcitonin for 1 year. This is considered a species-specific effect and of no clinical relevance. Salmon calcitonin does not cross the placental barrier.


title: Calcitonin

text: In lactating animals given calcitonin, suppression of milk production has been observed. Calcitonin is secreted into the milk.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin was extracted from the ultimobranchial glands (thyroid-like glands) of fish, particularly salmon. Salmon calcitonin resembles human calcitonin, but is more active. At present, it is produced either by recombinant DNA technology or by chemical peptide synthesis. The pharmacological properties of the synthetic and recombinant peptides have been demonstrated to be qualitatively and quantitatively equivalent.


title: Calcitonin

text: In a recent clinical study, subcutaneous injections of calcitonin have reduced the incidence of fractures and reduced the decrease in bone mass in women with type 2 diabetes complicated with osteoporosis.


title: Calcitonin

text: Subcutaneous injections of calcitonin in patients with mania resulted in significant decreases in irritability, euphoria and hyperactivity and hence calcitonin holds promise for treating bipolar disorder. However no further work on this potential application of calcitonin has been reported.


title: Calcitonin

text: It may be used diagnostically as a tumor marker for medullary thyroid cancer, in which high calcitonin levels may be present and elevated levels after surgery may indicate recurrence. It may even be used on biopsy samples from suspicious lesions (e.g., lymph nodes that are swollen) to establish whether they are metastases of the original cancer.


title: Calcitonin

text: Cutoffs for calcitonin to distinguish cases with medullary thyroid cancer have been suggested to be as follows, with a higher value increasing the suspicion of medullary thyroid cancer:


title: Calcitonin

text: A Cochrane rystematic review assessed the diagnostic accuracy of basal and stimulated calcitonin for Medullary Thyroid cancer. Although both basal and combined basal and stimulated calcitonin testing presented high accuracy (sensitivity: between 82% and 100%; specificity: between 97.2% and 100%), these results had a high risk of bias due to design flaws of included studies. Overall, the value of routine testing of calcitonin for diagnosis and prognosis of Medullary Thyroid Cancer remains uncertain and questionable.


title: Calcitonin

text: Increased levels of calcitonin have also been reported for various other conditions. They include: C-cell hyperplasia, nonthyroidal oat cell carcinoma, nonthyroidal carcinoma and other nonthyroidal malignancies, acute kidney injury and chronic kidney failure, hypercalcemia, hypergastrinemia, and other gastrointestinal disorders, and pulmonary disease.


title: Calcitonin

text: Calcitonin is a polypeptide hormone of 32 amino acids, with a molecular weight of 3454.93 daltons. Its structure comprises a single alpha helix. Alternative splicing of the gene coding for calcitonin produces a distantly related peptide of 37 amino acids, called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), beta type.


title: Calcitonin

text: Cys-Ser-Asn-Leu-Ser-Thr-Cys-Val-Leu-Gly-Lys-Leu-Ser-Gln-Glu-Leu-His-Lys-Leu-Gln-Thr-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Thr-Asn-Thr-Gly-Ser-Gly-Thr-Pro


title: Calcitonin

text: Cys-Gly-Asn-Leu-Ser-Thr-Cys-Met-Leu-Gly-Thr-Tyr-Thr-Gln-Asp-Phe-Asn-Lys-Phe-His-Thr-Phe-Pro-Gln-Thr-Ala-Ile-Gly-Val-Gly-Ala-Pro


title: Calcitonin

text: In addition to the injectable and nasal spray dosage forms of the salmon calcitonin, noninvasive oral formulations of the peptide are currently under clinical development. The short-half-life of this peptide in serum triggered several attempts to enhance plasma concentrations. The peptide is complexed with a macromolecule that acts as an absorption enhancer through the transcellular pathway and, additionally, protects the peptide from the harsh pH and enzymatic conditions of the GI tract. This complexation is weak, noncovalent and reversible and the drug remains chemically unmodified. After passage through the intestine, the delivery agent dissociates from the peptide. One of the extensively studied oral formulations is the disodium salts of 5-CNAC oral calcitonin. This novel oral platform in a number of clinical trials at different phases has demonstrated promising enhanced pharmacokinetic profile, high bioavailability, well-established safety and comparable efficacy to that of nasal calcitonin especially for treatment of postmenopausal bone loss.


title: Kosher animals

text: Kosher animals are animals that comply with the regulations of "kashrut" and are considered kosher foods. These dietary laws ultimately derive from various passages in the Torah with various modifications, additions and clarifications added to these rules by "halakha". Various other animal-related rules are contained in the 613 commandments.


title: Kosher animals

text: and both give the same general set of rules for identifying which land animals (Hebrew: בהמות "Behemoth") are ritually clean. According to these, anything that "chews the cud" and has a completely split hoof is ritually clean, but those animals that only chew the cud or only have cloven hooves are unclean.


title: Kosher animals

text: While camels are actually not true ruminants they chew cud, and for not having a cloven hoof, or a hoof at all. Camels have toes with hoof like toenails.


title: Kosher animals

text: Although hares and coneys do not ruminate at all, they do usually re-ingest soft cecal pellets made of chewed plant material right after excretion for further bacterial digestion in their stomach and this serves the same purpose as rumination.


title: Kosher animals

text: Although not ruminants, hyraxes have complex, multichambered stomachs that allow symbiotic bacteria to break down tough plant materials, though they do not regurgitate. Further clarification of this classification has been attempted by various authors, most recently by Rabbi Natan Slifkin, in a book, entitled "The Camel, the Hare, and the Hyrax".


title: Kosher animals

text: Unlike Leviticus 11:3-8, Deuteronomy 14:4-8 also explicitly names 10 animals considered ritually clean:


title: Kosher animals

text: The Deuteronomic passages mention no further land beasts as being clean or unclean, seemingly suggesting that the status of the remaining land beasts can be extrapolated from the given rules.


title: Kosher animals

text: By contrast, the Levitical rules later go on to add that all quadrupeds with paws should be considered ritually unclean, something not explicitly stated by the Deuteronomic passages; the only quadrupeds with paws are the carnivorans (dogs, wolves, cats, lions, hyenas, bears, etc.), and all carnivorans fall under this description.


title: Kosher animals

text: The Leviticus passages thus cover all the large land animals that naturally live in Canaan, except for primates, and equids (horses, zebras, etc.), which are not mentioned in Leviticus as being either ritually clean or unclean, despite their importance in warfare and society, and their mention elsewhere in Leviticus.


title: Kosher animals

text: In an attempt to help identify animals of ambiguous appearance, the Talmud, in a similar manner to Aristotle's earlier "Historia Animalium", argued that animals without upper teeth would always chew the cud and have split hoofs (thus being ritually clean), and that no animal with upper teeth would do so; the Talmud makes an exception for the case of the camel (which, like the other ruminant even-toed ungulates, is apparently 'without upper teeth' though some citations), even though the skulls clearly have both front and rear upper teeth. The Talmud also argues that the meat from the legs of clean animals can be torn lengthwise as well as across, unlike that of unclean animals, thus aiding to identify the status of meat from uncertain origin.


title: Kosher animals

text: Many Biblical scholars believe that the classification of animals was created to explain pre-existing taboos. Beginning with the Saadia Gaon, several Jewish commentators started to explain these taboos rationalistically; Saadia himself expresses an argument similar to that of totemism, that the unclean animals were declared so because they were worshipped by other cultures. Due to comparatively recent discoveries about the cultures adjacent to the Israelites, it has become possible to investigate whether such principles could underlie some of the food laws.


title: Kosher animals

text: Egyptian priests would only eat the meat of even-toed ungulates (swine, camelids, and ruminants), and rhinoceros. Like the Egyptian priests, Vedic India (and presumably the Persians also) allowed the meat of rhinoceros and ruminants, although cattle were excluded from this, since they were seemingly taboo in Vedic India; in a particular parallel with the Israelite list, Vedic India explicitly forbade the consumption of camelids and domestic pigs (but not boar). However, unlike the biblical rules, Vedic India did allow the consumption of hare and porcupine, but Harran did not, and was even more similar to the Israelite regulations, allowing all ruminants, but not other land beasts, and expressly forbidding the meat of camels.


title: Kosher animals

text: It is also possible to find an ecological explanation for these rules. If one believes that religious customs are at least partly explained by the ecological conditions in which a religion evolves, then this too could account for the origin of these rules.


title: Kosher animals

text: In addition to meeting the restrictions as defined by the Torah, there is also the issue of "masorah" (tradition). In general, animals are eaten only if there is a "masorah" that has been passed down from generations ago that clearly indicates that these animals are acceptable. For instance, there was considerable debate as to the kosher status of zebu and bison among the rabbinical authorities when they first became known and available for consumption; the Orthodox Union permits bison, as can be attested to by the menus of some of the more upscale kosher restaurants in New York City.


title: Kosher animals

text: and both state that anything residing in "the waters" (which Leviticus specifies as being the seas and rivers) is ritually clean if it has both fins and scales, in contrast to anything residing in the waters with neither fins nor scales. The latter class of animals is described as ritually impure by Deuteronomy, Leviticus describes them as an "abomination" KJV Leviticus 11:10. Abomination is also sometimes used to translate and .


title: Kosher animals

text: Although the Old Testament does not further specify, the Talmud makes the claim that all fish that have scales also have fins, and so practically speaking, we need to only identify organisms that have scales and can ignore the portion of the rule about fins. Nachmanides comments that the scales of a kosher fish must be able to be removed either by hand or by knife, but that the underlying skin does not become damaged with removal of the scales, and this opinion had been universally accepted by all "halachic" authorities at the time.


title: Kosher animals

text: Scientifically, there are five different types of fish scales: placoid, cosmoid, ganoid, ctenoid and cycloid. The majority of kosher fish exhibit the latter two forms, ctenoid or cycloid, but the bowfin ("Amia calva") is an example of a fish with ganoid scales that is deemed kosher. As such, kosher status cannot be said to follow the rules of modern-day classification, and qualified experts on kosher fish must be consulted to determine the status of a particular fish or scale type.


title: Kosher animals

text: These rules restrict permissible seafood to stereotypical fish, prohibiting the unusual forms such as the eel, lamprey, hagfish, and lancelet. In addition, they exclude non-fish marine creatures, such as crustaceans (lobster, crab, prawn, shrimp, barnacle, etc.), molluscs (squid, octopus, oyster, periwinkle, etc.), sea cucumbers, and jellyfish.


title: Kosher animals

text: Other creatures living in the sea and rivers that would be prohibited by the rules include the cetaceans (dolphin, whale, etc.), crocodilians (alligator, crocodile etc.), sea turtles, sea snakes, and all amphibians.


title: Kosher animals

text: Sharks are considered to be ritually unclean according to these regulations, as their scales can only be removed by damaging the skin. A minor controversy arises from the fact that the appearance of the scales of swordfish is heavily affected by the ageing process—their young satisfy Nachmanides' rule, but when they reach adulthood they do not.


title: Kosher animals

text: Traditionally "fins" has been interpreted as referring to translucent fins. The Mishnah claims that all fish with scales will also have fins, but that the reverse is not always true. For the latter case, the Talmud argues that ritually clean fish have a distinct spinal column and flattish face, while ritually unclean fish don't have spinal columns and have pointy heads, which would define the shark and sturgeon (and related fish) as ritually unclean.


title: Kosher animals

text: Nevertheless, Aaron Chorin, a prominent 19th-century rabbi and reformer, declared that the sturgeon was actually ritually pure, and hence permissible to eat. Many Conservative rabbis now view these particular fish as being kosher, but most Orthodox rabbis do not.


title: Kosher animals

text: The question for sturgeon is particularly significant as most caviar consists of sturgeon eggs, and therefore cannot be kosher if the sturgeon itself is not. Sturgeon-derived caviar is not eaten by some Kosher-observant Jews because sturgeon possess ganoid scales instead of the usual ctenoid and cycloid scales. There is a "kosher caviar". Atlantic salmon roe is also "kosher".


title: Kosher animals

text: Nachmanides believed that the restrictions against certain fish also addressed health concerns, arguing that fish with fins and scales (and hence ritually clean) typically live in shallower waters than those without fins or scales (i.e., those that were ritually impure), and consequently the latter were much colder and more humid, qualities he believed made their flesh toxic.


title: Kosher animals

text: The academic perception is that natural repugnance from "weird-looking" fish is a significant factor in the origin of the restrictions. Vedic India (and presumably the Persians also) exhibit such repugnance, generally allowing fish, but forbidding "weird looking" fish and exclusively carnivorous fish; in Egypt, another significant and influential culture near to the Israelites, the priests avoided all fish completely.


title: Kosher animals

text: With regard to birds, no general rule is given, instead and explicitly list prohibited birds. In the Shulchan Aruch, 3 signs are given to kosher birds: the presence of a crop, an extra finger, and a gizzard that can be peeled. The bird must also not be a bird of prey. The Masoretic Text lists the birds as:


title: Kosher animals

text: The list in Deuteronomy has an additional bird, the , which seems to be a combination of and , and may be a scribal error; the Talmud regards it as a duplication of . This, and the other terms, are vague and difficult to translate, but there are a few further descriptions, of some of these birds, elsewhere in the Bible:


title: Kosher animals

text: The Septuagint versions of the lists are more helpful, as in almost all cases the bird is clearly identifiable:


title: Kosher animals

text: Although the first 10 birds identified by the Septuagint seem to fit the descriptions of the Masoretic Text, the ossifrage (Latin for "bone breaker") being a good example, the correspondence is less clear for most of the remaining birds.


title: Kosher animals

text: It is also obvious that the list in Leviticus, or the list in Deuteronomy, or both, are in a different order in the Septuagint, compared to the Masoretic Text.


title: Kosher animals

text: Attempting to determine the correspondence is problematic; for example, "pelican" may correspond to ("vomiting"), in reference to the pelican's characteristic behaviour, but it may also correspond to ("cup"), as a reference to the pelican's jaw pouch.


title: Kosher animals

text: An additional complexity arises from the fact that the has not yet been identified, and classical Greek literature merely identifies a number of species that are not the , including the peacock, grouse, and robin, and implies that the is the cousin of the kingfisher. From these meager clarifications, the can only be identified as anything from the lilac-breasted roller, Indian roller, or northern carmine bee-eater, to the flamingo. A likely candidate is the purple swamphen.


title: Kosher animals

text: During the Middle Ages, classical descriptions of the hoopoe were mistaken for descriptions of the lapwing, on account of the lapwing's prominent crest, and the hoopoe's rarity in England, resulting in "lapwing" being listed in certain bible translations instead of "hoopoe".


title: Kosher animals

text: Similarly, the sea eagle has historically been confused with the osprey, and translations have often used the latter bird in place of the former. Because (ostrich) was also used in Greek for the sparrow, a few translations have placed the sparrow among the list.


title: Kosher animals

text: In Arabic, the Egyptian vulture is often referred to as , and therefore a number of translations render as "gier eagle", the old name for the Egyptian vulture.


title: Kosher animals

text: Variations arise when translations follow other ancient versions of the Bible, rather than the Septuagint, where they differ. Rather than vulture (), the Vulgate has , meaning "red kite", which historically has been called the "glede", on account of its gliding flight; similarly, the Syriac Peshitta has "owl" rather than "ibis".


title: Kosher animals

text: Other variations arise from attempting to base translations primarily on the Masoretic Text; these translations generally interpret some of the more ambiguous birds as being various different kinds of vulture and owl. All of these variations mean that most translations arrive at a list of 20 birds from among the following:


title: Kosher animals

text: Despite being listed among the birds by the Bible, bats are not birds, and are in fact mammals (because the Hebrew Bible distinguishes animals into four general categories—beasts of the land, flying animals, creatures which crawl upon the ground, and animals which dwell in water—not according to modern scientific classification).


title: Kosher animals

text: Most of the remaining animals on the list are either birds of prey or birds living on water, and the majority of the latter in the list also eat fish or other seafood.


title: Kosher animals

text: The Septuagint's version of the list comprehensively lists most of the birds of Canaan that fall into these categories. The conclusion of modern scholars is that, generally, ritually unclean birds were those clearly observed to eat other animals.


title: Kosher animals

text: Although it does regard all birds of prey as being forbidden, the Talmud is uncertain of there being a general rule, and instead gives detailed descriptions of the features that distinguish a bird as being ritually clean.


title: Kosher animals

text: The Talmud argues that clean birds would have craws, an easily separated 'double-skin', and would eat food by placing it on the ground (rather than holding it on the ground) and tearing it with their bills before eating it; however, the Talmud also argues that only the birds in the biblical list are actually forbidden—these distinguishing features were only for cases when there was any uncertainty in the bird's identity.


title: Kosher animals

text: The earliest rationalistic explanations of the laws against eating certain birds focused on symbolic interpretations. The first indication of this view can be found in the 1st century BC Letter of Aristeas, which argues that this prohibition is a lesson to teach justice, and is also about not injuring others.


title: Kosher animals

text: Such allegorical explanations were abandoned by most Jewish and Christian theologians after a few centuries, and later writers instead sought to find medical explanations for the rules; Nachmanides, for example, claimed that the black and thickened blood of birds of prey would cause psychological damage, making people much more inclined to cruelty.


title: Kosher animals

text: However, other cultures treated the meat of certain carnivorous birds as having medical benefits, the Romans viewing owl meat as being able to ease the pain of insect bites.


title: Kosher animals

text: Conversely, modern scientific studies have discovered very toxic birds such as the pitohui, which are neither birds of prey nor water birds, and therefore the biblical regulations allow them to be eaten.


title: Kosher animals

text: Laws against eating any carnivorous birds also existed in Vedic India and Harran, and the Egyptian priests also refused to eat carnivorous birds.


title: Kosher animals

text: Due to the difficulty of identification, religious authorities have restricted consumption to specific birds for which Jews have passed down a tradition of permissibility from generation to generation. Birds for which there has been a tradition of their being kosher include:


title: Kosher animals

text: As a general principle, scavenging birds such as vultures and birds of prey such as hawks and eagles (which opportunistically eat carrion) are unclean.


title: Kosher animals

text: The turkey does not have a tradition, but because so many Orthodox Jews have come to eat it and it possesses the (signs) required to render it a kosher bird, an exception is made, but with all other birds a is required.


title: Kosher animals

text: Songbirds, which are consumed as delicacies in many societies, may be kosher in theory, but are not eaten in kosher homes as there is no tradition of them being eaten as such. Pigeons and doves are known to be kosher based on their permissible status as sacrificial offerings in the Temple of Jerusalem.


title: Kosher animals

text: The Orthodox Union of America considers that neither the peafowl nor the guineafowl to be kosher birds since it has not obtained testimony from experts about the permissibility of either of these birds. In the case of the swans, there is no clear tradition of eating them.


title: Kosher animals

text: Unlike with land creatures and fish, the Torah does not give signs for determining kosher birds, and instead gives a list of non-kosher birds.


title: Kosher animals

text: If a bird kills other animals to get its food, eats meat, or is a dangerous bird, then is not kosher, a predatory bird is unfit to eat, raptors like the eagles, hawks, owls and other hunting birds are not kosher, vultures and other carrion-eating birds are not kosher either.


title: Kosher animals

text: Crows and members of the crow family such as jackdaws, magpies and ravens are not kosher. Storks, kingfishers, penguins and other fish-eating birds are not kosher.


title: Kosher animals

text: specifies that all "flying creeping things" were to be considered ritually unclean and goes further, describing all flying creeping things as filth, Hebrew . Leviticus goes on to list four exceptions, which Deuteronomy does not.


title: Kosher animals

text: All these exceptions are described by the Levitical passages as "going upon all four legs" and as having "legs above their feet" for the purpose of leaping. The identity of the four creatures the Levitical rules list are named in the Masoretic Text using words of uncertain meaning:


title: Kosher animals

text: The Mishnah argues that the ritually clean locusts could be distinguished as they would all have four feet, jumping with two of them, and have four wings which are of sufficient size to cover the entire locust's body. The Mishnah also goes on to state that any species of locust could only be considered as clean if there was a reliable tradition that it was so.


title: Kosher animals

text: The only Jewish group that continue to preserve such a tradition are the Jews of Yemen, who use the term "kosher locust" to describe the specific species of locusts they believe to be kosher, all of which are native to the Arabian Peninsula.


title: Kosher animals

text: Due to the difficulties in establishing the validity of such traditions, later rabbinical authorities forbade contact with all types of locust to ensure that the ritually unclean locusts were avoided.


title: Kosher animals

text: specifies that whatever "goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable." (Hebrew: ). Before stating this, it singles out eight particular "creeping things" as specifically being ritually unclean in .


title: Kosher animals

text: Like many of the other biblical lists of animals, the exact identity of the creatures in the list is uncertain; medieval philosopher and Rabbi, Saadia Gaon, for example, gives a somewhat different explanation for each of the eight "creeping things." The Masoretic Text names them as follows:


title: Kosher animals

text: The Septuagint version of the list does not appear to directly parallel the Masoretic, and is thought to be listed in a different order. It lists the eight as:


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: Siesta Key is a barrier island off the southwest coast of the U.S. state of Florida, located between Roberts Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. A portion of it lies within the city boundary of Sarasota, but the majority of the key is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County. Siesta Key is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: From the 19th century to the early 20th century, Siesta Key was known by a variety of names, including "Little Sarasota Key" and "Sarasota Key". The first attempts to develop the key were by the Siesta Land Company in 1907 consisting of Harry Higel, Captain Louis Roberts, and E. M. Arbogast. The company platted the northern end of the key as "Siesta on the Gulf" as well as dredged bayous and built docks.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: The only access to Siesta Key was by boat or ferry until the first bridge connecting it to the mainland was completed in 1917. The bridge was later replaced in 1927 along with an addition of a second bridge located on the southern end of the key. The entire key was officially recognized as "Siesta Key" by 1952.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 32.08%, is water.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: Siesta Key is made up of four main districts: Siesta Beach, Crescent Beach, Turtle Beach, and Siesta Key Village. It contains a suburban residential area located on the Siesta Key barrier island on the West coast of Florida, just west of the town of Sarasota. The community on Siesta Key consists of single family homes, condominiums, retail shops and art galleries.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: Beaches on Siesta Key include Siesta Beach, Crescent Beach, and Turtle Beach. Siesta Beach was named #1 in the U.S. and #11 in the world in the 2020 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice™ awards.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: At the time of the 2000 US Census, there were 7,150 people, 3,783 households, and 2,273 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 7,885 housing units at an average density of . There were 3,783 households, out of which 9.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. Of all households 33.9% were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.89 and the average family size was 2.34.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 9.0% under the age of 18, 1.8% from 18 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 39.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 60 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.


title: Siesta Key, Florida

text: The median income for a household in the CDP was $66,397, and the median income for a family was $81,345. Males had a median income of $55,240 versus $32,263 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $53,290. About 3.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Absolutely Anything is a 2015 British science fantasy comedy film directed by Terry Jones, who also co-wrote it with Gavin Scott. It stars Simon Pegg, Kate Beckinsale, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rob Riggle, Eddie Izzard and Joanna Lumley, with the voices provided by John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Jones, Michael Palin and Robin Williams. It was the first movie to feature all living Monty Python members since "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" (1983), and the first without Graham Chapman, who died in 1989. Principal photography and production began on March 24, 2014, and ended on May 12 of that same year. The film was released in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2015 by Lionsgate UK and was released in the United States on May 12, 2017, grossing $6.3 million worldwide.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: This was the final movie directed, written by and starring Terry Jones, five years before his death in 2020. It was also the final film to star Robin Williams in the main cast, released a year after his death on August 11, 2014.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: A space probe containing information about the human race is found by the alien galactic council. They debate whether to destroy the Earth or make humanity a member of the council. As a test, they will give one random human limitless power, "absolutely anything". After ten days, if the powers were used for evil, Earth will be destroyed.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: The chosen human is Neil Clarke, a teacher struggling under Headmaster Robinson school in London. Neil has a crush on his neighbour, Catherine West. Oblivious to his new power, Neil wishes for aliens to destroy the classroom of students hated by him, which indeed causes an alien spaceship to kill everyone in that classroom.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Perplexed, Neil tests himself to find out that he can do anything. To fix the deaths of his students he wishes that "everyone who died come back to life", causing all dead people to rise as zombies; he reverses this, asking that the explosion never happened, reversing all previous wishes. Next day he wishes for another teacher, Miss Pringle, to worship his friend Ray, who is too shy to tell her he likes her.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Neil uses his power for petty personal gains and to give his dog Dennis the ability to speak. One night, the galactic power glitches, failing to make Catherine fall in love with Neil, but then coincidentally Catherine knocks at his door. They spend the night together and her stalker ex-boyfriend, Colonel Grant sees them.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Catherine hears Dennis shouting that he loves Neil, making her think that Neil has a boyfriend. Ray says that Miss Pringle doesn't love him romantically, instead she worships him as a god. Catherine locks Grant in her apartment. Neil breaks Grant's arm and then fixes it, revealing his ability to grant wishes whenever he says a wish and makes a hand gesture. Grant kidnaps Neil, tying him up and gagging him to prevent his escape, and then forces him to grant some selfish or absurd wishes (such as giving all pasty-white English people huge ears and duck feet and giving police pink uniforms), threatening to shoot Dennis.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Catherine and Ray rescue Neil who reverses all of the wishes, including Miss Pringle's now violently fanatical worship of Ray, who was close to being ritually killed by her and the cult she created. Catherine angrily tells Neil that she could never love anyone so controlling. Disheartened, Neil decides to use his powers to solve the world's problems; he grants everyone in the world as much food as they want, says that wars shouldn't happen for any reason, grants every person their own dream house and wishes for the reversion of global warming.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: However, this backfires when worldwide obesity flares, all land is taken over for houses, several countries declare war for no reason (as opposed to "any reason"), and the planet falls into a global ice age. Neil reverses all these wishes. Disheartened with his personal life and futile attempts to make the world a better place he attempts suicide, but as he jumps into the Thames, Dennis jumps in after him and Neil is forced to rescue the dog and by consequence himself. Afterward, Dennis says that Neil should give the power to him, as he never thinks of anything selfish. Neil does so.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Meanwhile, the aliens decide that Earth is not worthy. It turns out that the galactic council has an inverted understanding of morality - it sees dominance as good, and weakness as evil, with Neil trying to end wars and make the life of others better being a sign of weakness. They decide to destroy Earth, but Dennis wishes that the source of power be destroyed, causing the doom weapon of the council to bounce back to the alien ship, killing them all. With no power left, but full of confidence, the next day Neil asks Catherine out, to which she agrees.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: In a March 2014, interview with "Empire", Terry Jones spoke about the plot of the film. He described it as being about Neil, a teacher in a failing secondary school, who is given the ability to make anything happen by asking it to. He only realizes he has this after saying "I'd make an alien spaceship hit class 10C and vaporize them" to a colleague, only to hear an explosion elsewhere in the school and find 10C's classroom destroyed.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Jones credited the film's idea to the H. G. Wells story "The Man Who Could Work Miracles", but said that it "just changed out of all recognition from that". He also explained that the script for the film has been around for 20 years, saying: "I just think it's my own baby really. But I wrote it with Gavin Scott, and we've been writing it for 20 years, then Mike Medavoy rang up in 2010 or so and asked what scripts I had hidden in my bottom desk drawer. So I pulled out Absolutely Everything – not literally, of course – and here we are." He also spoke about the character Dennis the Dog, saying: "I think he's going to steal the show. We've got a real dog, Mojo, who is very obedient, and a wonderful dog, a mongrel, but CGI work will be done. Simon Pegg is a big dog fan, and him and Mojo get on very well. Before Douglas Adams died, he looked over the script and he said that Dennis the Dog's scenes were the funniest scenes..." He also spoke about the designs of the alien characters, saying: "James Acheson is doing the costumes, and he has already got a wonderful array of aliens of different sizes and shapes. The story behind the aliens is they intercept the Voyager space craft as it leaves the solar system [and] comes into intergalactic space – well, it isn't really intergalactic space, but we pretend it is, anyway – and they say they have to assess one Earthling at random by giving them these powers. They pick Neil."


title: Absolutely Anything

text: On 14 September 2010, the film was first announced, and it was also announced that John Oliver, Robin Williams, John Cleese, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam were cast in the film, with Eric Idle announced as joining his fellow Pythons on 20 February 2014. In January 2012, it was announced that film would begin filming in spring 2012. On 11 December 2013, Simon Pegg was cast as the lead character Neil Clarke. On 26 February 2014, Kate Beckinsale was cast in the film. On 19 March 2014, Rob Riggle was cast in the film.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Principal photography and production began on 24 March 2014, and ended on 12 May 2014. Director Jones said "It and it was shot in London. We took over a disused school in Hornsey Lane, which is not far from my house. We built the studios in there and used it as a base. Then, we shot the interiors of the flats in Earl’s Court." On 28 March 2014, it was announced that Lionsgate UK would distribute the film in the United Kingdom.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Australian singer Kylie Minogue recorded and released a promotional single, "Absolutely Anything and Anything at All", for the soundtrack. A music video was released on Minogue's official YouTube channel.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: The film was released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2015, by Lionsgate UK and released in the United States on 12 May 2017, by the same company.


title: Absolutely Anything

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 18% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10. Its consensus states "Given the impressive array of talent involved in "Absolutely Anything"—and the near-total lack of laughs it provokes—this Monty Python reunion can only be regarded as a disappointment". On Metacritic the film received a weighted average score of 31 out of 100 based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".


title: Absolutely Anything

text: Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" awarded the film 1/5 star, and said "cheap and cheerless sci-fi comedy. There’s a blue-chip cast here, and it’s directed by Terry Jones; the Pythons have cameos, as creepy alien creatures. But this low-budget Brit film is just depressing, a sub-Douglas Adams sci-fi comedy which looks like mediocre kids’ TV with a dismal script and cheap’n’cheerless production values. A huge amount of talent here. Sadly it goes nowhere." James Mottram of "The List" also awarded the film 1 star, and said "Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale head up an awful sci-fi comedy from Terry Jones. It’d be very sad if this is the last Python collaboration to hit screens."


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled "The Decline of Western Civilization", each covering an aspect of Los Angeles underground culture, and "Wayne's World", her highest-grossing film.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Spheeris was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her Greek-immigrant father owned the "Magic Empire Shows" carnival and was a side-show strong man. Her mother, of Irish heritage, was raised in Kansas and later worked as a ticket taker for the carnival. Her father was 40 years old and her mother was 19 when they began a relationship. Spheeris has three full siblings, plus a number of older half-siblings from her father's first marriage. She is a sister of singer Jimmie Spheeris and a first cousin of musician Chris Spheeris, and Greek-French director Costa Gavras, which she says has made her consider that a genetic component exists to her vocation.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Spheeris told author Paul Stenning, "I believe each of us is born with certain characteristics that we genetically inherit, some of which are good, some not so good. My mother was extremely compassionate, my father more of a barbarian. My father was passionately ambitious, where my mother was not. The most significant traits I learned from my parents were a strong sense of survival and unfaltering tenacity."


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Spheeris spent her first seven years traveling around the American South and American Midwest with her father's carnival. Her father was shot and killed in Troy, Alabama, after intervening in a racial dispute. In a 2015 interview, Spheeris stated that her father had come to the aid of an African-American man who had been struck on the back of the head with a cane by a white man over a dispute about cutting in front of him in line. The white man soon after returned and stabbed Spheeris' father. She states that her father's killer served no jail time, the man's legal defense apparently resting entirely on the claim that he was justified in murdering Spheeris senior as "he was defending a black."


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: After her father's death, Spheeris and her three siblings moved with their mother to California, generally living in trailer parks with a succession of stepfathers. She spent her teenaged years in Orange County, graduating from Westminster High School with a daunting 'most likely to succeed' label.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: After high school, Spheeris attended California State University Long Beach, where she majored in art. She admired the teachings of George Falcon, a behavioral scientist. From his influence, Spheeris went on to study psychobiology at the University of California, Irvine, in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Working as a waitress at Denny's and IHOP, she put herself through film school. She majored in film and has a master of fine arts degree in theater arts from UCLA.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Spheeris launched her career by producing short subjects for comedian Albert Brooks, many of them being highlights in the first season of the television series "Saturday Night Live". Her first feature film was "The Decline of Western Civilization" (1981), a punk rock documentary that she produced and directed. She followed up with "Suburbia" in 1983, produced by Roger Corman, "", this time about the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of 1988, with footage and interviews of legendary metal bands such as Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, Megadeth, and Motörhead. She later returned to the streets of Los Angeles and the punk rock scene in 1998 for the documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization Part III". She was offered the chance to direct "This is Spinal Tap", but declined.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: In addition, she worked as a writer for the television series "Roseanne" (1988-1997). In the 1990s, she directed "Wayne's World", a comedy based on Mike Myers' sketches from "Saturday Night Live". The movie grossed over $183 million and became a popular hit. She directed the "Wayne's World" music video work for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", which earned a Grammy Award nomination. She had difficulty working with Myers, while acknowledging him as "profoundly talented," and in an "Entertainment Weekly" article stated she believes Myers dissuaded Paramount Pictures from hiring her for the sequel.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: In 1996, she directed "We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll", a documentary about the Ozzfest, produced by Sharon Osbourne, which explored life on the road.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Other films Spheeris has directed include "The Beverly Hillbillies"; "The Little Rascals" (for which she co-wrote the screenplay); the Chris Farley/David Spade comedy "Black Sheep"; the Marlon Wayans-David Spade team-up "Senseless"; and "The Kid & I" starring Tom Arnold. In 2006, she was set to direct the still-unfilmed "Gospel According to Janis", about Janis Joplin.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: The moving image collection of Penelope Spheeris is held at the Academy Film Archive. The Academy Film Archive has preserved several of Penelope Spheeris' films, including "Bath", "Hats Off To Hollywood", and "Shit".


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Since September 9, 1998, Spheeris has been in a relationship with a man known as Sin, whom she met while filming the documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization III". In a 2015 interview, she revealed that he was in an institution in Florida after he stopped taking his medication (he has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) and ended up in jail. She has described him as the love of her life.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: In December 2021, she appeared on the fourteenth episode of "The Ghost of Hollywood", where she discussed her work career in filmmaking, with a focus on "Suburbia" in particular.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: An interview with Penelope Spheeris and journalist Barney Hoskyns appeared on the Rock's Backpages web site.


title: Penelope Spheeris

text: Spheeris work has received recognition from the Directors Guild of America, The Recording Academy, Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Chicago Underground Film Festival, the Deep Ellum Film Festival, the LA Femme International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, the Los Angeles Silver Lake Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Temecula Valley International Film Festival.


title: Hearing aid

text: A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers such as personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) or other plain sound reinforcing systems cannot be sold as "hearing aids".


title: Hearing aid

text: Early devices, such as ear trumpets or ear horns, were passive amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and direct it into the ear canal. Modern devices are computerised electroacoustic systems that transform environmental sound to make it audible, according to audiometrical and cognitive rules. Modern devices also utilize sophisticated digital signal processing to try and improve speech intelligibility and comfort for the user. Such signal processing includes feedback management, wide dynamic range compression, directionality, frequency lowering, and noise reduction.


title: Hearing aid

text: Modern hearing aids require configuration to match the hearing loss, physical features, and lifestyle of the wearer. The hearing aid is fitted to the most recent audiogram and is programmed by frequency. This process is called "fitting" can be performed by the user in simple cases, or is performed by a Doctor of Audiology, also called an audiologist (AuD), or by a Hearing Instrument Specialist (HIS) or audioprosthologist. The amount of benefit a hearing aid delivers depends in large part on the quality of its fitting. Almost all hearing aids in use in the US are digital hearing aids, as analog aids are phased out. Devices similar to hearing aids include the osseointegrated auditory prosthesis (formerly called the bone-anchored hearing aid) and cochlear implant.


title: Hearing aid

text: Hearing aids are used for a variety of pathologies including sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and single-sided deafness. Hearing aid candidacy was traditionally determined by a Doctor of Audiology, or a certified hearing specialist, who will also fit the device based on the nature and degree of the hearing loss being treated. The amount of benefit experienced by the user of the hearing aid is multi-factorial, depending on the type, severity, and etiology of the hearing loss, the technology and fitting of the device, and on the motivation, personality, lifestyle, and overall health of the user. Over-the-counter hearing aids, which address mild- to moderate- hearing loss, are designed to be adjusted by the user.


title: Hearing aid

text: Hearing aids are incapable of truly correcting a hearing loss; they are an "aid" to make sounds more audible. The most common form of hearing loss for which hearing aids are sought is sensorineural, resulting from damage to the hair cells and synapses of the cochlea and auditory nerve. Sensorineural hearing loss reduces the sensitivity to sound, which a hearing aid can partially accommodate by making sound louder. Other decrements in auditory perception caused by sensorineural hearing loss, such as abnormal spectral and temporal processing, and which may negatively affect speech perception, are more difficult to compensate for using digital signal processing and in some cases may be exacerbated by the use of amplification. Conductive hearing losses, which do not involve damage to the cochlea, tend to be better treated by hearing aids; the hearing aid is able to sufficiently amplify sound to account for the attenuation caused by the conductive component. Once the sound is able to reach the cochlea at normal or near-normal levels, the cochlea and auditory nerve are able to transmit signals to the brain normally.


title: Hearing aid

text: Common issues with hearing aid fitting and use are the occlusion effect, loudness recruitment, and understanding speech in noise. Once a common problem, feedback is generally now well-controlled through the use of feedback management algorithms.


title: Hearing aid

text: There are several ways of evaluating how well a hearing aid compensates for hearing loss. One approach is audiometry which measures a subject's hearing levels in laboratory conditions. The threshold of audibility for various sounds and intensities is measured in a variety of conditions. Although audiometric tests may attempt to mimic real-world conditions, the patient's own every day experiences may differ. An alternative approach is self-report assessment, where the patient reports their experience with the hearing aid.


title: Hearing aid

text: The most reliable method for assessing the correct adjustment of a hearing aid is through real ear measurement. Real ear measurements (or probe microphone measurements) are an assessment of the characteristics of hearing aid amplification near the ear drum using a silicone probe tube microphone.


title: Hearing aid

text: Current research is also pointing towards hearing aids and proper amplification as a treatment for tinnitus, a medical condition which manifests itself as a ringing or buzzing in the ears.


title: Hearing aid

text: There are many types of hearing aids (also known as hearing instruments), which vary in size, power and circuitry.


title: Hearing aid

text: Body worn aids were the first portable electronic hearing aids, and were invented by Harvey Fletcher while working at Bell Laboratories. Body aids consist of a case and an earmold, attached by a wire. The case contains the electronic amplifier components, controls and battery, while the earmold typically contains a miniature loudspeaker. The case is typically about the size of a pack of playing cards and is carried in a pocket or on a belt.


title: Hearing aid

text: Without the size constraints of smaller hearing devices, body worn aid designs can provide large amplification and long battery life at a lower cost. Body aids are still used in emerging markets because of their relatively low cost.


title: Hearing aid

text: Behind the ear hearing aids are one of two major classes of hearing aids – behind the ear (BTE) and in the ear (ITE). These two classes are distinguished by where the hearing aid is worn. BTE hearing aids consist of a case which hangs behind the pinna. The case is attached to an earmold or dome tip by a traditional tube, slim tube, or wire. The tube or wire courses from the superior-ventral portion of the pinna to the concha, where the ear mold or dome tip inserts into the external auditory canal. The case contains the electronics, controls, battery, and microphone(s).The loudspeaker, or receiver, may be housed in the case (traditional BTE) or in the earmold or dome tip (receiver-in-the-canal, or RIC). The RIC style of BTE hearing aid is often smaller than a traditional BTE and more commonly used in more active populations.


title: Hearing aid

text: BTEs are generally capable of providing more output and may therefore be indicated for more severe degrees of hearing loss. However, BTEs are very versatile and can be used for nearly any kind of hearing loss. BTEs come in a variety of sizes, ranging from a small, "mini BTE", to larger, ultra-power devices. Size typically depends on the output level needed, the location of the receiver, and the presence or absence of a telecoil. BTEs are durable, easy to repair, and often have controls and battery doors that are easier to manipulate. BTEs are also easily connected to assistive listening devices, such as FM systems and induction loops. BTEs are commonly worn by children who need a durable type of hearing aid.


title: Hearing aid

text: In the ear aids (ITE) devices fit in the outer ear bowl (called the concha). Being larger, these are easier to insert and can hold extra features. They are sometimes visible when standing face to face with someone. ITE hearing aids are custom made to fit each individual's ear. They can be used in mild to some severe hearing losses. Feedback, a squealing/whistling caused by sound (particularly high frequency sound) leaking and being amplified again, may be a problem for severe hearing losses. Some modern circuits are able to provide feedback regulation or cancellation to assist with this.


title: Hearing aid

text: Venting may also cause feedback. A vent is a tube primarily placed to offer pressure equalization. However, different vent styles and sizes can be used to influence and prevent feedback.


title: Hearing aid

text: Traditionally, ITEs have not been recommended for young children because their fit could not be as easily modified as the earmold for a BTE, and thus the aid had to be replaced frequently as the child grew. However, there are new ITEs made from a silicone type material that mitigates the need for costly replacements.


title: Hearing aid

text: ITE hearing aids can be connected wirelessly to FM systems, for instance with a body-worn FM receiver with induction neck-loop which transmits the audio signal from the FM transmitter inductively to the telecoil inside the hearing instrument.


title: Hearing aid

text: Mini in canal (MIC) or completely in canal (CIC) aids are generally not visible unless the viewer looks directly into the wearer's ear. These aids are intended for mild to moderately severe losses. CICs are usually not recommended for people with good low-frequency hearing, as the occlusion effect is much more noticeable. Completely-in-the-canal hearing aids fit tightly deep in the ear. It is barely visible. Being small, it will not have a directional microphone, and its small batteries will have a short life, and the batteries and controls may be difficult to manage. Its position in the ear prevents wind noise and makes it easier to use phones without feedback. In-the-canal hearing aids are placed deep in the ear canal. They are barely visible. Larger versions of these can have directional microphones. Being in the canal, they are less likely to cause a plugged feeling. These models are easier to manipulate than the smaller completely in-the-canal models but still have the drawbacks of being rather small.


title: Hearing aid

text: In-the-ear hearing aids are typically more expensive than behind-the-ear counterparts of equal functionality, because they are custom fitted to the patient's ear.


title: Hearing aid

text: The digitally modeled "shell" is printed using a rapid prototyping technique such as stereolithography.


title: Hearing aid

text: Invisible-in-canal hearing aids (IIC) style of hearing aids fits inside the ear canal completely, leaving little to no trace of an installed hearing aid visible. This is because it fits deeper in the canal than other types, so that it is out of view even when looking directly into the ear bowl (concha). A comfortable fit is achieved because the shell of the aid is custom-made to the individual ear canal after taking a mold.


title: Hearing aid

text: Invisible hearing aid types use venting and their deep placement in the ear canal to give a more natural experience of hearing. Unlike other hearing aid types, with the IIC aid the majority of the ear is not blocked (occluded) by a large plastic shell. This means that sound can be collected more naturally by the shape of the ear, and can travel down into the ear canal as it would with unassisted hearing. Depending on their size, some models allow the wearer to use a mobile phone as a remote control to alter memory and volume settings, instead of taking the IIC out to do this. IIC types are most suitable for users up to middle age, but are not suitable for more elderly people.


title: Hearing aid

text: Extended wear hearing aids are hearing devices that are non-surgically placed in the ear canal by a hearing professional. The extended wear hearing aid represents the first "invisible" hearing device. These devices are worn for 1–3 months at a time without removal. They are made of soft material designed to contour to each user and can be used by people with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. Their close proximity to the ear drum results in improved sound directionality and localization, reduced feedback, and improved high frequency gain. While traditional BTE or ITC hearing aids require daily insertion and removal, extended wear hearing aids are worn continuously and then replaced with a new device. Users can change volume and settings without the aid of a hearing professional. The devices are very useful for active individuals because their design protects against moisture and earwax and can be worn while exercising, showering, etc. Because the device's placement within the ear canal makes them invisible to observers, extended wear hearing aids are popular with those who are self-conscious about the aesthetics of BTE or ITC hearing aid models. As with other hearing devices, compatibility is based on an individual's hearing loss, ear size and shape, medical conditions, and lifestyle. The disadvantages include regular removal and reinsertion of the device when the battery dies, inability to go underwater, earplugs when showering, and for some discomfort with the fit since it is inserted deeply in the ear canal, the only part of the body where skin rests directly on top of bone.


title: Hearing aid

text: A CROS hearing aid is a hearing aid that transmits auditory information from one side of the head to the other side of the head. Candidates include people who have poor word understanding on one side, no hearing on one side, or who are not benefiting from a hearing aid on one side. CROS hearing aids can appear very similar to behind the ear hearing aids. The CROS system can assist the patient in sound localization and understanding auditory information on their poor side. While CROS hearing aids can be quite effective, the long-term solution for those with hearing issues on one side is to use a BiCROS system. This creates more of a balance for wearers.


title: Hearing aid

text: A bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) is a surgically implanted auditory prosthetic based on bone conduction. It is an option for patients without external ear canals, when conventional hearing aids with a mold in the ear cannot be used. The BAHA uses the skull as a pathway for sound to travel to the inner ear. For people with conductive hearing loss, the BAHA bypasses the external auditory canal and middle ear, stimulating the functioning cochlea. For people with unilateral hearing loss, the BAHA uses the skull to conduct the sound from the deaf side to the side with the functioning cochlea.


title: Hearing aid

text: Individuals under the age of two (five in the USA) typically wear the BAHA device on a Softband. This can be worn from the age of one month as babies tend to tolerate this arrangement very well. When the child's skull bone is sufficiently thick, a titanium "post" can be surgically embedded into the skull with a small abutment exposed outside the skin. The BAHA sound processor sits on this abutment and transmits sound vibrations to the external abutment of the titanium implant. The implant vibrates the skull and inner ear, which stimulate the nerve fibers of the inner ear, allowing hearing.


title: Hearing aid

text: The surgical procedure is simple both for the surgeon, involving very few risks for the experienced ear surgeon. For the patient, minimal discomfort and pain is reported. Patients may experience numbness of the area around the implant as small superficial nerves in the skin are sectioned during the procedure. This often disappears after some time. There is no risk of further hearing loss due to the surgery. One important feature of the BAHA is that, if a patient for whatever reason does not want to continue with the arrangement, it takes the surgeon less than a minute to remove it. The BAHA does not restrict the wearer from any activities such as outdoor life, sporting activities etc.


title: Hearing aid

text: Two main brands manufacture BAHAs today – the original inventors Cochlear, and the hearing aid company Oticon.


title: Hearing aid

text: During the late 1950s through 1970s, before in-the-ear aids became common (and in an era when thick-rimmed eyeglasses were popular), people who wore both glasses and hearing aids frequently chose a type of hearing aid that was built into the


title: Hearing aid

text: temple pieces of the spectacles. However, the combination of glasses and hearing aids was inflexible: the range of frame styles was limited, and the user had to wear both hearing aids and glasses at once or wear neither. Today, people who use both glasses and hearing aids can use in-the-ear types, or rest a BTE neatly alongside the arm of the glasses. There are still some specialized situations where hearing aids built into the frame of eyeglasses can be useful, such as when a person has hearing loss mainly in one ear: sound from a microphone on the "bad" side can be sent through the frame to the side with better hearing.


title: Hearing aid

text: This can also be achieved by using CROS or bi-CROS style hearing aids, which are now wireless in sending sound to the better side.


title: Hearing aid

text: These are generally worn by people with a hearing loss who either prefer a more cosmetic appeal of their hearing aids by being attached to their glasses or where sound cannot be passed in the normal way, via a hearing aids, perhaps due to a blockage in the ear canal. pathway or if the client experiences continual infections in the ear.


title: Hearing aid

text: Sounds are transmitted via a receiver attached from the arm of the spectacles which are fitted firmly behind the boney portion of the skull at the back of the ear, (mastoid process) by means of pressure, applied on the arm of the spectacles. The sound is passed from the receiver on the arm of the spectacles to the inner ear (cochlea), via the bony portion. The process of transmitting the sound through the bone requires a great amount of power. Bone conduction aids generally have a poorer high pitch response and are therefore best used for "conductive hearing losses" or where it is impractical to fit standard hearing aids.


title: Hearing aid

text: Unlike the bone conduction spectacles the sound is transmitted via hearing aids which are attached to the arm or arms of the spectacles. When removing your glasses for cleaning, the hearing aids are detached at the same time. Whilst there are genuine instances where spectacle aids are a preferred choice, they may not always be the most practical option.