who is considered the father of american policing

In the ensuing years, Vollmer's reputation as the "father of modern law enforcement" grew.[1] He was the first chief to require that police officers attain college degrees, and persuaded the University of California to teach criminal justice. In 1916, UC Berkeley established a criminal justice program, headed by Vollmer.[2] At Berkeley, he taught O.W. Wilson, who went on to become a professor and continued efforts to professionalize policing, by being the first to establish the first police science degree at Municipal University of Wichita (now Wichita State University).[3][4] This is often seen as the start of criminal justice as an academic field.

August Vollmer

August "Gus" Vollmer (March 7, 1876 â€“ November 4, 1955) was the first police chief of Berkeley, California and a leading figure in the development of the field of criminal justice in the United States in the early 20th century.

Vollmer was born in New Orleans to German immigrant parents, John and Philopine (Klundt) Vollmer. His father saw to it that he learned to box and swim, both of which he excelled at. Upon his father's death, his mother returned to Germany with her children for two years, after which she returned to New Orleans in 1886, but soon thereafter decided to move her family to San Francisco. In July 1890, the Vollmer family moved across the bay to Berkeley.

Before he was 20, August helped organize the North Berkeley Volunteer Fire Department, and in 1897, was awarded the Berkeley Fireman medal. He supported his mother and the rest of his family as a partner in Patterson and Vollmer, a hay, grain, wood and coal supply store, at the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Vine Street near a fire station north of downtown Berkeley.

In 1898, August enlisted in the United States Marines, fighting in 25 battles in the Spanish–American War in the Philippines. Vollmer left the military in August 1899 and returned to Berkeley. In March 1900, he began working for the local post office.

In 1904, he won fame as a local hero after he leapt onto a runaway railroad freight car on Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley and applied its brakes, preventing a disastrous collision with a passenger coach loaded with commuters at the Berkeley station. This event led to his election as town marshal on April 10, 1905.

In 1907, Vollmer was re-elected town marshal. He was also elected president of the California Association of Police Chiefs, even though, by title, he was not yet a police chief himself. In 1909, Berkeley created the office of police chief, and Vollmer became the first to hold that office.

Drawing on his military experience, and his own research, Vollmer reorganized the Berkeley police force. Vollmer had discovered that very little literature existed in the United States on the subject of police work, so he located and read a number of European works on the subject, in particular, Criminal Psychology, by Hans Gross, an Austrian criminologist, and Memoirs of Vidocq, by Eugène François Vidocq, head of the detective division of the French police in Paris. He then set out on a program of modernization. He established a bicycle patrol and created the first centralized police records system, designed to streamline and organize criminal investigations. He established a call box network. And he trained his deputies in marksmanship.

Vollmer was also the first police chief to create a motorized force, placing officers on motorcycles and in cars so that they could patrol a broader area with greater efficiency. Radios were included in patrol cars. He was also the first to use the lie detector, developed at the University of California, in police work. Vollmer supported programs to assist disadvantaged children, and was often criticized for his leniency towards petty offenders such as drunks and loiterers. He also encouraged the training and employment of female and African American police officers.[5]

In 1921, Vollmer was elected president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Vollmer left the Berkeley Police Department for a brief stint as police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1923 to 1924, but returned upon being disillusioned by the extent of corruption and hostility towards leadership coming from outside the department.

Vollmer married Millicent Gardner in 1924. They had no children. In 1926, Vollmer played himself in the silent serial Officer 444 which was filmed in Berkeley under the direction of John Ford's brother Francis Ford.

Vollmer contributed to sections of the Wickersham Commission national criminal justice report of 1931, namely to the fourteenth and final volume, The Police, which advocated for a well-selected, well-educated, and well-funded professionalized police force. Other portions of the Wickersham report were sharply critical of current police practice; one of the volumes was entitled Lawlessness in Law Enforcement.[6]

He retired from the Berkeley Police in 1932 as his eyesight began to fail. He was then appointed as a professor of police administration in the Political Science Department at the University of California, and went on to found its School of Criminology. He was also among the five people elected as the first directors of the East Bay Regional Parks District in 1934. The same year Vollmer was awarded the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.[7]

Vollmer became afflicted with Parkinson's Disease late in life, and also cancer. He refused to be bed-ridden, and chose to end his own life at age 79 in 1955.

Vollmer was against police involvement with the problem of drug addiction.[8] Vollmer wrote that enforcement of moralistic vice laws leads to police corruption and "engenders disrespect both for law and for the agents of law enforcement."[9] Vollmer supported the establishment of federal distribution, at cost, of habit forming drugs.[10]


where do the baltimore orioles play spring training

Ed Smith Stadium is a baseball field located in Sarasota, Florida. Since 2010, it has been the spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles.

Ed Smith Stadium

Ed Smith Stadium was built in 1989 to replace Payne Park as a Spring Training and Minor League Baseball site. It is named for the Sarasota civic leader who was instrumental in getting the new stadium built.[1] It was formerly the spring home of the Chicago White Sox (1989â€“1997) and the Baltimore Orioles (1991). In 1998, it replaced Plant City Stadium as the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds remained at the facility through 2008. After Cincinnati's club moved its spring activities to Arizona, Ed Smith Stadium spent a year without major league Spring Training.[2]

The Orioles became the stadium's tenant and operator in 2010.[3] Baltimore had trained in Sarasota before—at Twin Lakes Park in 1989 and 1990, as well as at Ed Smith in 1991—before moving to St. Petersburg and then Ft. Lauderdale for spring games.[2]

From 1989 to 2009, the stadium hosted a series of Minor League Baseball teams, the Single-A Sarasota White Sox, Sarasota Red Sox, and Sarasota Reds. From 2004 until 2009, it housed the Gulf Coast League's Gulf Coast Reds. Ed Smith has also hosted high school and college baseball tournaments.

On November 1, 2008, Barack Obama gave a speech to a crowd of 10,000 spectators as part of his 2008 presidential campaign.

In 2008, a planned renovation fell through when a proposed bond issue from the city of Sarasota to partially fund the renovation was rejected by the voters. The Reds, whose lease with the city and the stadium expired after the season, announced that they intend to seek a new spring training home.[4] They moved to Goodyear Ballpark, located in Arizona, in 2010.

The Baltimore Orioles reached a tentative 30-year agreement to begin spring training at Ed Smith Stadium starting in 2010 which included renovations to the stadium and surrounding areas. The $31.2 million renovation was completed prior to the beginning of spring training in February 2011.[5]

Seats in the renovated stadium are refurbished seats from the Orioles' revolutionary home ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Three air-conditioned suites added to the park are numbered Suites 66, 70, and 83, corresponding to the club's three World Series championships. A fabric sun shade system extends from the stadium's original roof to nearly double the number of seats in the shade.[3]

A series of photos produced by the Orioles shows the dramatic changes resulting from the renovation.[6]

Seating is available for 7,428 spectators, with standing room space taking the park's total capacity to 8,500. Two concourses include food and beverage stands, a cafe, and a 2,000-square-foot (190 m2) gift shop. 100 high-definition televisions are located throughout the stadium and a high-definition LED video board in the outfield measures 17 feet (5.2 m) high by 30 feet (9.1 m) across.[3]


what is the purpose of a recessed filter

Parliaments are one of few brands of cigarettes on the mainstream market to feature a recessed paper filter. Cigarette filters became common in most cigarettes in the 1950s. In the 1940s and 1950s, the brand was marketed for its unique filters, with advertisements reading, "Only the flavor touches your lips", and "Tobacco tastes best when the filter's recessed".[3] The brand also claimed that the recessed filter prevented tar from making contact with the smoker's mouth, unlike standard filters.[4][5][6] However, this recessed would also explain the popularity of the cigarette in another way: the sleeve would be suitable for snorting cocaine.[7]

Parliament (cigarette)

Parliament is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA in the United States and Philip Morris International outside of the United States.

The brand was launched in 1931 and is distinctive for its recessed paper filters.[1] It was originally used as an advertising gimmick when cigarettes did not have filters. The first commercial cigarette filters came into use in 1935.[2]

In Korea, brands like Marlboro, Philip Morris, Dunhill, Parliaments and various other Western cigarettes were sold in 1987 as import opening to prepare for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Parliament make up 1.9% of U.S. cigarette sales, in contrast to Marlboro, which represent 41.1% of the U.S. cigarette sales.[8][9] From the 1950s on the cigarette had a reputation for being popular among affluent smokers.[10][5]

It is the 12th best-selling international brand and the 4th largest PMI brand[11] In 2016, the volume of produced Parliament cigarettes was 46 billion. The brand is sold in more than 30 countries.[11]

In the television commercials that were once broadcast in Japan, the image of New York was strongly issued. From the early to the mid 1980s, things like CG animation, which had been the package designs of Parliament, ranged from the cityscape of New York to roads and bridges, etc. From around the end of the 1980s, the aerial photographs of New York by live action turned into things to be used. Since entering the 1990s, under the image strategy of being even more expensive, BGM was shedding the number of AOR artists such as Bobby Caldwell with beautiful images. Among them were included a self-cover version by Bobby of "Stay With Me" for KA, GU, YA (the theme song of the movie Bamboo Story) that was offered to Peter Cetera. Kyōzō Nagatsuka was in charge of the narration at that time.

Actor Charlie Sheen appeared in ads for Parliament in Japan in the 1990s.[12][13][14]

Parliament cigarettes appeared in the 1956 James Bond novel Diamonds Are Forever. Ian Fleming specifically mentions the brand with the line "She (Tiffany Case) picked up her third Martini and looked at it. Then very slowly, in three swallows, she drank it down. She put down the glass and took a Parliament out of the box beside her plate and bent towards the flame of Bondâ€™s lighter.".

Parliaments were also mentioned in the 1962 Bond novel The Spy Who Loved Me. The brand is referenced when Vivienne Michel enjoys a Parliament while settling in for her planned evening alone. "Then I pulled the most comfortable armchair over from the reception side of the room to stand beside the radio, turned the radio up, lit a Parliament from the last five in my box, took a stiff pull at my drink, and curled myself into the armchair."[15]

Actress Keiko Awaji was a Parliament smoker.

On JTBC's Knowing Bros Episode 31, guest star Jessi said other guest star Seo In Young is a Parliament Light smoker, which is untrue according to the latter. The brand name's calling was supposed to be censored per Korea Communications Commission's regulation but was left uncensored by the editing crew.[16]

Liberal Party representative Ichirō Ozawa was a frequent smoker of the brand. He was smoking 5 to 6 packs of Parliaments a day until he fell ill with Angina Pectoris.

Hajime Ishii, who was from Stanford University and served as election committee chairman during the Ozawa secretary general's age, is still a Parliament smoker despite his relatively old age.

Parliament was or still is sold in the following countries: United States, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, West-Germany, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mongolia, China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.[17][18][19]

Parliaments are sold in the following varieties:


india's first international stock exchange has been launched recently in which city

The India International Exchange (INX) is India's first international stock exchange, opened in 2017.[1][2] It is located at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), GIFT City in Gujarat. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).[3] The INX will be initially headed by V. Balasubramanian with other staff from the BSE.[3]

India International Exchange

It was inaugurated on 9 January 2017 by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, the trading operations were scheduled to begin on 16 January 2017. It was claimed to be fastest in the world and aimed to operate for 22 hours a day.[1]


what does a american bull dog look like

The American Bulldog is a stocky, well built, strong-looking dog, with a large head and a muscular build. Its coat is short and generally smooth. The breed is a light to moderate shedder. Colors, while historically predominantly white with patches of red, black, or brindle, have grown in recent years to include many color patterns including black, red, brown, fawn, and all shades of brindle. The color conformation is quite varied, but solid black or any degree of merle is considered a cosmetic fault, and a blue color is a disqualification by the NKC Breed Standard.[1] Black pigmentation on the nose and eye rims is traditionally preferred, with only some pink allowed. Eye color is usually brown, but heterochromia also occurs, although this is also considered a cosmetic fault. American Bulldogs are known to drool more than other breeds of dog. The Bully type is generally a larger, heavier dog with a shorter muzzle. Standard types are generally more athletic with longer muzzles and a more square head. Many modern American Bulldogs are a combination of the two types, usually termed "hybrid." In general, American Bulldogs weigh between 27 and 54 kg (60 to 120 lb) and are 52 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in) at the withers, but have been known to greatly exceed these dimensions, especially in the "out of standard," nonworking stock.

American Bulldog

The American Bulldog is a breed of utility dog descended from the Old English Bulldog.

The Old English Bulldog was preserved by working class immigrants who brought their working dogs with them to the American South. Small farmers and ranchers used this all-around working dog for many tasks including farm guardians, stock dogs and catch dogs. These dogs were not an actual breed as considered by today's standards but were a generic bulldog type. There were no recorded pedigrees or records and breeding decisions were dependent on the best working farm dogs despite breed or background. Several separate strains of the "bulldog" type dogs were kept by ranchers as utilitarian working dogs.

Perhaps the most important role of the bulldog and the reason for its survival, and in fact why it thrived throughout the South, was because of the presence of feral pigs, introduced to the New World and without predators. The bulldogs were the settlers' only means of sufficiently dealing with the vermin.

By World War II, the breed was near extinction until John D. Johnson scoured the back roads of the South looking for the best specimens to revive the breed. During this time a young Alan Scott grew an interest in Johnson's dogs and began to work with him on the revitalization process. At some point, Scott began infusing non-Johnson catch bulldogs from working Southern farms with Johnson's lines, creating what is now known as the Standard type American Bulldog, also called the Scott type. At another point, Johnson began crossing his original lines with an atavistic English bulldog from the North that had maintained its genetic athletic vigor, creating the Bully type American Bulldog, also known as the Johnson type of the Classic type.

American bulldogs are now safe from extinction and are enjoying a healthy increase in popularity, either as a working/protector dog or as a family pet. All over the world, they are used variously as "hog dogs" (catching escaped pigs or hunting razorbacks), as cattle drovers and as working or sport K-9s. American Bulldogs also successfully compete in several dog sports such as dog obedience, Schutzhund, French Ring, Mondio Ring, Iron Dog competition and weight pulling. They are also exhibited in conformation shows in the UKC, NKC, ABA, ABRA, EKC and the SACBR.

American Bulldogs are typically confident, social, and active dogs that are at ease with their families. It is not uncommon for an American Bulldog to require a high level of attention due to their highly emotional personality. They bond strongly with their owners. They are capable of jumping in excess of 3 feet (0.91Â m) vertical due to the dense muscle build of the breed. Young American Bulldogs may be slightly aloof with strangers, but as they mature the breed's normal confidence should assert itself. This breed tolerates children and can do very well with them, provided they are socialized early and understand their limits. The more exposure to good training practices, other dogs, and people, the more likely the success at being controlled both inside and outside of their environment. Early training and socialization both in the home and outside of the home is essential for this breed. While the goal of the breed was originally to produce a working farm utility dog that could catch and hold wild boar and cattle, kill vermin, and guard an owner's property, when properly trained, exercised and socialized, this breed can become a family pet.[citation needed]

American Bulldogs generally live from 10 to 16 years, and tend to be strong, physically active, and often healthy. Some health problems in American bulldogs are often found within certain genetic lines, and are not common to the entire breed, while others, such as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL),[2] Ichthyosis, disorders of the kidney and thyroid, ACL tears, hip dysplasia, cherry eye, elbow dysplasia, entropion, ectropion, and bone cancer are more common to the general population of American Bulldogs. There are DNA tests available to help breeders screen breeding animals for NCL (neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis)[2] and Ichthyosis. A Penn Hip (Pennsylvania Hip Improvement project) or OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) screening is recommended for all potential breeding animals. Some American Bulldogs are prone to allergies.


what is the dwarf city in the hobbit called

In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the Lonely Mountain (Sindarin Erebor) is a mountain in the north of Rhovanion. It is the source of the Celduin River, and the location of the Kingdom under the Mountain. The town of Dale lies in a vale on its southern slopes.

Lonely Mountain

Erebor stood hundreds of miles from the nearest mountain range. Tolkien's map shown in The Hobbit shows the mountain with six ridges stretching out from a central peak that was snowcapped well into spring. The whole mountain was perhaps ten miles in diameter; it contained fabulous lodes of gold and jewels.[1]

The mountain was the habitat for a variety of plants and animals, including thrushes, crows, snails and pines; some of these were endemic sub-species. Perhaps the most well-known were the ravens of Ravenhill, a spur of the mountain. Some wildlife survived the Desolation of Smaug,[2] a dragon who invaded the Mountain and dominated its surrounds for nearly 200 years in the Third Age.

Erebor became the home of the Folk of Durin, a clan of Dwarves known as the Longbeards, after they were driven from their ancestral home of Khazad-dÃ»m. In the latter days of the Third Age, this Kingdom under the Mountain held one of the largest dwarvish treasure hoards in Middle-earth.

Dale, a town of Men built between the two southern spurs of Erebor,[3] formed an economically symbiotic relationship with the dwarves.

The Kingdom under the Mountain was founded by Thráin I the Old, who discovered the Arkenstone there. His son, Thorin I, left the mountain with much of the Folk of Durin to live in the Ered Mithrin (Grey Mountains) on account of the great riches to be found in that range. After dragons plundered their hoards, the Longbeards, led now by Thrór, a descendant of Thorin, returned to Erebor to take up the title King under the Mountain. Under Thrór's reign, Erebor became a great stronghold where the dwarves became a numerous and prosperous people. The Dwarves of Erebor were at that time well known for the making of matchless weapons and armour, and there was great demand for their work by the surrounding peoples. The Longbeards amassed a large treasure hoard during this time.

In 2770 T.A., while the young Thorin II Oakenshield was out hunting, the dragon Smaug flew south from the Grey Mountains, killed all the dwarves he could find, and destroyed the town of Dale. Smaug then took over the mountain, using the dwarves' hoard as a bed. King Thrór, his son Thráin II, and several companions escaped death by a secret door. Although Thrór and Thráin later perished, Thorin lived in exile in the Ered Luin until, by chance, he met the wizard Gandalf. Together they formed a plan to reclaim the mountain. Gandalf insisted that burglary was the best approach and recommended the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, whom he represented to be a professional thief.

Thus Bilbo, Thorin, and Thorin's company of twelve other Dwarves travelled to the Lonely Mountain to regain the treasure. They planned to use the secret door, whose key Gandalf had managed to obtain from ThrÃ¡in, whom he had found at the point of death in the pits of Dol Guldur. On Durin's Day, when the setting sun and the last moon of autumn were in the sky together, the day's last sunlight would fall on the door and expose its keyhole so that it could be unlocked. By a fortunate coincidence, this happened soon after Bilbo and the dwarves arrived, and the hobbit was able to enter the mountain and steal a golden cup.

Smaug, enraged by the theft, emerged from the mountain and destroyed Lake-town, which he thought to be the source of the "thieves". During this attack Smaug was slain by Bard the Bowman, and Thorin claimed the mountain. However, the Men of Esgaroth, supported by Thranduil and the Elves of Mirkwood, demanded a part of the dragon's hoard as recompense for the destruction. Thorin, mad with greed, refused all claims and sent word to his second cousin Dáin II Ironfoot, chief of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, who brought reinforcements to the aid of Thorin and Company. Before the battle began, however, an army of orcs and wargs descended on Erebor. Dwarves, elves, and men joined ranks against them, which led to the Battle of the Five Armies. During the battle, Thorin's nephews Fíli and Kíli were slain, and Thorin himself was mortally injured and died shortly afterwards. The title of King under the Mountain passed to Dáin.

With the restoration of the Kingdom under the Mountain the area became prosperous again. Dale was rebuilt under Bard's leadership, and dwarves and men reforged their friendship.

Some of the Dwarves, led by Balin, left Erebor to reclaim the ancient Dwarvish Kingdom of Khazad-dûm (also known as Moria). They established a colony there but five years later Balin was killed by an Orc, and soon after Moria was overrun by Orcs and the rest of the Dwarves were killed.

Gimli, a dwarf of Erebor and the son of Glóin, one of Thorin's 12 companions, was chosen to represent his people in the Fellowship of the Ring and helped Aragorn II regain the throne of Gondor.

During the War of the Ring, a messenger from Mordor twice came to Erebor, asking for assistance in finding the One Ring and offering three of the seven Dwarf rings and Moria, but Dáin refused. Dale was overrun by Sauron's northern army, and many dwarves and men took refuge in Erebor, which was promptly surrounded. Dáin II was killed before the gates of Erebor defending the body of his fallen ally King Brand of Dale. Dáin was succeeded by his son Thorin III Stonehelm, who along with King Bard II withstood the siege and later routed Sauron's forces. In The Quest of Erebor, Gandalf related that although Sauron's main thrust was directed against Gondor, the restoration of the Kingdom Under the Mountain provided a bulwark against Sauron's northern allies, who otherwise could have done great harm in Arnor and the Shire.

The Lonely Mountain: Lair of Smaug the Dragon is a board game produced in 1985 by Iron Crown Enterprises,[4] designed by Coleman Charlton, which features groups of adventurers, either Dwarves, Elves, Orcs or Men entering Smaug's Lair to capture his treasure before he awakens.

"Erebor", specifically the southern spurs of the Mountain and Dale, is a playable map in The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II. It has three gates, including the one Tolkien described and two which cannot be closed, to allow those playing as invading forces to easily enter the stronghold.

The Lonely Mountain appears in the Peter Jackson motion picture adaptations of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and The Battle of the Five Armies.

The International Astronomical Union names all mountains on Saturn's moon Titan after mountains in Tolkien's work.[5] In 2012, they named a Titanean mountain "Erebor Mons" after the Lonely Mountain.[6]


to what class of enzymes does urease belong

More specifically, urease catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea to produce ammonia and carbamate; the carbamate produced is subsequently degraded by spontaneous hydrolysis to produce another ammonia and carbonic acid.[2] Urease activity tends to increase the pH of its environment as it produces ammonia, a basic molecule. Ureases are found in numerous bacteria, fungi, algae, plants and some invertebrates, as well as in soils, as a soil enzyme. They are nickel-containing metalloenzymes of high molecular weight.[3]

Urease

Ureases (EC 3.5.1.5), functionally, belong to the superfamily of amidohydrolases and phosphotriesterases.[1] It is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. The reaction occurs as follows:

Its activity was first identified in 1876 by Frédéric Alphonse Musculus as a soluble ferment.[4] In 1926, James B. Sumner, an assistant professor at Cornell University, showed that urease is a protein by examining its crystallized form.[5] Sumner's work was the first demonstration that a pure protein can function as an enzyme, and led eventually to the recognition that most enzymes are in fact proteins, and the award of the Nobel prize in chemistry to Sumner in 1946.[6] The structure of urease was first solved by P. A. Karplus in 1995. Urease was the first ever enzyme crystallized.[5]

Bacterial ureases are composed of three distinct subunits, one large (α 60–76kDa) and two small (β 8–21 kDa, γ 6–14 kDa) commonly forming (αβγ)3 trimers stoichiometry with a 2-fold symmetric structure (note that the image above gives the structure of the asymmetric unit, one-third of the true biological assembly), they are cysteine-rich enzymes, resulting in the enzyme molar masses between 190 and 300kDa.[9]

An exceptional enzyme is the urease of Helicobacter species, which is composed of two subunits, α(26–31 kDa)-β(61–66 kDa), and has been shown to form a supramolecular dodecameric complex.[10] of repeating α-β subunits, each coupled pair of subunits has an active site, for a total of 12 active sites.[10] (

α

12

β

12

{\displaystyle \alpha _{12}\beta _{12}}

). It plays an essential function for survival, neutralizing gastric acid by allowing urea to enter into periplasm via a proton-gated urea channel.[11] The presence of urease is used in the diagnosis of Helicobacter species.

All bacterial ureases are solely cytoplasmic, except for Helicobacter pylori urease, which along with its cytoplasmic activity, has external activity with host cells. In contrast, all plant ureases are cytoplasmic.[9]

Fungal and plant ureases are made up of identical subunits (~90 kDa each), most commonly assembled as trimers and hexamers. For example, jack-bean urease has two structural and one catalytic subunit. The α subunit contains the active site, it is composed of 840 amino acids per molecule (90 cysteines), its molecular mass without Ni(II) ions amounting to 90.77 kDa. The mass of the hexamer with the 12 nickel ions is 545.34 kDa. It is structurally related to the (αβγ)3 trimer of bacterial ureases. Other examples of homohexameric structures of plant ureases are those of soybean, pigeon pea and cotton seeds enzymes.[9]

It is important to note, that although composed of different types of subunits, ureases from different sources extending from bacteria to plants and fungi exhibit high homology of amino acid sequences.[9]

The active site of all ureases known are located in the α (alpha) subunits. It is a bis-μ-hydroxo dimeric nickel center, with an interatomic distance of ~3.5 Å,[5] magnetic susceptibility experiments have indicated that, in jack bean urease, high spin octahedrally coordinated Ni(II) ions are weakly antiferromagnetically coupled.[12] X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies of Canavalia ensiformis (jack bean), Klebsiella aerogenes and Sporosarcina pasteurii (formerly known as Bacillus pasteurii)[13] confirm 5–6 coordinate nickel ions with exclusively O/N ligands (two imidazoles per nickel).[8]

The water molecules are located towards the opening of the active site and form a tetrahedral cluster that fills the cavity site through hydrogen bonds, and it's here where urea binds to the active site for the reaction, displacing the water molecules. The amino acid residues participate in the substrate binding, mainly through hydrogen bonding, stabilize the catalytic transition state and accelerate the reaction. Additionally, the amino acid residues involved in the architecture of the active site compose part of the mobile flap of the site, which is said to act as a gate for the substrate.[3] Cysteine residues are common in the flap region of the enzymes, which have been determined not to be essential in catalysis, although involved in positioning other key residues in the active site appropriately.[14] In the structure of Sporosarcina pasteurii urease the flap was found in the open conformation, while its closed conformation is apparently needed for the reaction.[13]

When compared, the Î± subunits of Helicobacter pylori urease and other bacterial ureases align with the jack bean ureases, suggesting that all ureases are evolutionary variants of one ancestral enzyme.[14]

It is important to note that the coordination of urea to the active site of urease has never been observed in a resting state of the enzyme.[9]

The kcat/Km of urease in the processing of urea is 1014 times greater than the rate of the uncatalyzed elimination reaction of urea.[5] There are many reasons for this observation in nature. The proximity of urea to active groups in the active site along with the correct orientation of urea allow hydrolysis to occur rapidly. Urea alone is very stable due to the resonance forms it can adopt. The stability of urea is understood to be due to its resonance energy, which has been estimated at 30â€“40 kcal/mol.[5] This is because the zwitterionic resonance forms all donate electrons to the carbonyl carbon making it less of an electrophile making it less reactive to nucleophilic attack.[5]

One mechanism for the catalysis of this reaction by urease was proposed by Blakely and Zerner.[15] It begins with a nucleophilic attack by the carbonyl oxygen of the urea molecule onto the 5-coordinate Ni (Ni-1). A weakly coordinated water ligand is displaced in its place. A lone pair of electrons from one of the nitrogen atoms on the Urea molecule creates a double bond with the central carbon, and the resulting NH2+ of the coordinated substrate interacts with a nearby negatively charged group. Blakeley and Zerner proposed this nearby group to be a Carboxylate ion

A hydroxide ligand on the six coordinate Ni is deprotonated by a base. The carbonyl carbon is subsequently attacked by the electronegative oxygen. A pair of electrons from the nitrogen-carbon double bond returns to the nitrogen and neutralizes the charge on it, while the now 4-coordinate carbon assumes an intermediate tetrahedral orientation.

The breakdown of this intermediate is then helped by a sulfhydryl group of a cysteine located near the active site. A hydrogen bonds to one of the nitrogen atoms, breaking its bond with carbon, and releasing an NH3 molecule. Simultaneously, the bond between the oxygen and the 6-coordinate nickel is broken. This leaves a carbamate ion coordinated to the 5-coordinate Ni, which is then displaced by a water molecule, regenerating the enzyme.

The carbamate produced then spontaneously degrades to produce another ammonia and carbonic acid.[2]

The mechanism proposed by Hausinger and Karplus attempts to revise some of the issues apparent in the Blakely and Zerner pathway, and focuses on the positions of the side chains making up the urea-binding pocket.[5] From the crystal structures from K. aerogenes urease, it was argued that the general base used in the Blakely mechanism, His320, was too far away from the Ni2-bound water to deprotonate in order to form the attacking hydroxide moiety. In addition, the general acidic ligand required to protonate the urea nitrogen was not identified.[16] Hausinger and Karplus suggests a reverse protonation scheme, where a protonated form of the His320 ligand plays the role of the general acid and the Ni2-bound water is already in the deprotonated state.[5] The mechanism follows the same path, with the general base omitted (as there is no more need for it) and His320 donating its proton to form the ammonia molecule, which is then released from the enzyme. While the majority of the His320 ligands and bound water will not be in their active forms (protonated and deprotonated, respectively,) it was calculated that approximately 0.3% of total urease enzyme would be active at any one time.[5] While logically, this would imply that the enzyme is not very efficient, contrary to established knowledge, usage of the reverse protonation scheme provides an advantage in increased reactivity for the active form, balancing out the disadvantage.[5] Placing the His320 ligand as an essential component in the mechanism also takes into account the mobile flap region of the enzyme. As this histidine ligand is part of the mobile flap, binding of the urea substrate for catalysis closes this flap over the active site and with the addition of the hydrogen bonding pattern to urea from other ligands in the pocket, speaks to the selectivity of the urease enzyme for urea.[5]

The mechanism proposed by Ciurli and Mangani[17] is one of the more recent and currently accepted views of the mechanism of urease and is based primarily on the different roles of the two nickel ions in the active site.[13] One of which binds and activates urea, the other nickel ion binds and activates the nucleophilic water molecule.[13] With regards to this proposal, urea enters the active site cavity when the mobile ‘flap’ (which allows for the entrance of urea into the active site) is open. Stability of the binding of urea to the active site is achieved via a hydrogen-bonding network, orienting the substrate into the catalytic cavity.[13] Urea binds to the five-coordinated nickel (Ni1) with the carbonyl oxygen atom. It approaches the six-coordinated nickel (Ni2) with one of its amino groups and subsequently bridges the two nickel centers.[13] The binding of the urea carbonyl oxygen atom to Ni1 is stabilized through the protonation state of Hisα222 Nԑ. Additionally, the conformational change from the open to closed state of the mobile flap generates a rearrangement of Alaα222 carbonyl group in such a way that its oxygen atom points to Ni2.[13] The Alaα170 and Alaα366 are now oriented in a way that their carbonyl groups act as hydrogen-bond acceptors towards NH2 group of urea, thus aiding its binding to Ni2.[13] Urea is a very poor chelating ligand due to low Lewis base character of its NH2 groups. However the carbonyl oxygens of Alaα170 and Alaα366 enhance the basicity of the NH2 groups and allow for binding to Ni2.[13] Therefore, in this proposed mechanism, the positioning of urea in the active site is induced by the structural features of the active site residues which are positioned to act as hydrogen-bond donors in the vicinity of Ni1 and as acceptors in the vicinity of Ni2.[13] The main structural difference between the Ciurli/Mangani mechanism and the other two is that it incorporates a nitrogen, oxygen bridging urea that is attacked by a bridging hydroxide.[2]

Bacterial ureases are often the mode of pathogenesis for many medical conditions. They are associated with hepatic encephalopathy / Hepatic coma, infection stones, and peptic ulceration.[18]

Infection induced urinary stones are a mixture of struvite (MgNH4PO4•6H2O) and carbonate apatite [Ca10(PO4)6•CO3].[18] These polyvalent ions are soluble but become insoluble when ammonia is produced from microbial urease during urea hydrolysis, as this increases the surrounding environments pH from roughly 6.5 to 9.[18] The resultant alkalinization results in stone crystallization.[18] In humans the microbial urease, Proteus mirabilis, is the most common in infection induced urinary stones.[19]

Urease in hepatic encephalopathy / hepatic coma

Studies have shown that Helicobacter pylori along with cirrhosis of the liver cause hepatic encephalopathy and hepatic coma.[20] Heliobacter pylori are microbial ureases found in the stomach. As ureases they hydrolyze urea to produce ammonia and carbonic acid. As the bacteria are localized to the stomach ammonia produced is readily taken up by the circulatory system from the gastric lumen.[20] This results in elevated ammonia levels in the blood and is coined as hyperammonemia, eradication of Heliobacter pylori show marked decreases in ammonia levels.[20]

Urease in peptic ulcers

Helicobacter pylori is also the cause of peptic ulcers with its manifestation in 55â€“68% reported cases.[21] This was confirmed by decreased ulcer bleeding and ulcer reoccurrence after eradication of the pathogen.[21] In the stomach there is an increase in pH of the mucosal lining as a result of urea hydrolysis, which prevents movement of hydrogen ions between gastric glands and gastric lumen.[18] In addition, the high ammonia concentrations have an effect on intercellular tight junctions increasing permeability and also disrupting the gastric mucous membrane of the stomach.[18][22]

Urea is found naturally in the environment and is also artificially introduced, comprising more than half of all synthetic nitrogen fertilizers used globally.[23] Heavy use of urea is thought to promote eutrophication, despite the observation that urea is rapidly transformed by microbial ureases, and thus usually does not persist.[24] Environmental urease activity is often measured as an indicator of the health of microbial communities. In the absence of plants, urease activity in soil is generally attributed to heterotrophic microorganisms, although it has been demonstrated that some chemoautotrophic ammonium oxidizing bacteria are capable of growth on urea as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy.[25]

Many gastrointestinal or urinary tract pathogens produce urease, enabling the detection of urease to be used as a diagnostic to detect presence of pathogens.

Urease-positive pathogens include:

First isolated as a crystal in 1926 by Sumner, using acetone solvation and centrifuging.[26] Modern biochemistry has increased its demand for urease. Jack bean meal,[27] watermelon seeds,[28] and pea seeds[29] have all proven useful sources of urease.


name of deputy prime minister of india 2018

The first Deputy Prime Minister of India was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was also home minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. The office has since been only intermittently occupied. The seventh and last deputy prime minister was L. K. Advani, who took on the role in addition to his home ministership from 2002 to 2004 in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. The current government does not have a Deputy Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister of India

The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Union Cabinet in the Government of India. Not technically a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers[1]. A deputy prime minister usually also holds a key cabinet portfolio such as home minister or finance minister. In the parliamentary system of government, the prime minister is treated as the "first among equals" in the cabinet; the position of deputy prime minister is used to bring political stability and strength within a coalition government or in times of national emergency, when a proper chain of command is necessary.

On multiple occasions, proposals have arisen to make the post permanent, but without result. The same goes for the post of Deputy Chief Minister at the state level.[citation needed]


where was the movie river's edge filmed

Shot in Los Angeles in 1986, the film premiered that year at the Toronto International Film Festival before being purchased for distribution by Island Pictures, who gave the film a theatrical release in the United States in May 1987. Several critics praised the film's performances, and its subject matter resulted in it being classified by several critics as a contemporary-day horror film. It was awarded Best Picture at the 1986 Independent Spirit Awards.

River's Edge

River's Edge is a 1986 American independent crime film directed by Tim Hunter, written by Neal Jimenez, and starring Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Daniel Roebuck, and Dennis Hopper. It follows a group of teenagers in a Northern California town who are forced to deal with their friend's murder of his girlfriend, and the subsequent disposal of her body. Screenwriter Jimenez partially based the film's script on the 1981 murder of Marcy Renee Conrad in Milpitas, California.

Contemporary film scholars have noted River's Edge as an example of the "killer kid" film, as well as one of the most polarizing youth-oriented films of the 1980s.[3][4] In a 2015 retrospective, Salon deemed it "the darkest teen film of all time."[5] The film features an original score by Jürgen Knieper, as well as a soundtrack featuring songs from various punk and metal bands, including Slayer, Agent Orange, and the Wipers.

In Northern California, an adolescent boy, Tim, throws a doll into a river. On the opposite bank, he sees teenager Samson smoking a cigarette; next to him is the nude corpse of his girlfriend, Jamie. Later at a convenience store, Tim encounters John arguing with the clerk over buying beer. Tim returns home where his brother Matt and mother are searching for his little sister's doll. Layne arrives and picks up Matt, and the two drive to the home of Feck, a neurotic ex-biker and drug dealer, to buy marijuana. On the car ride there, Layne recounts a party from the night before where John and Jamie were arguing. At school, Layne and Matt smoke with their friends Clarissa, Maggie, and Tony. Matt talks about wanting to run away to Portland, which Clarissa dismisses. Samson arrives, and mentions that he killed Jamie. Clarissa and Maggie think he's joking, and leave for class. He brings Layne and Matt to view her body; Matt is disturbed, while Layne is singularly concentrated on covering up the crime.

The group all plan to go see Jamie's body that evening, which Clarissa assumes is a practical joke. An older acquaintance, Mike, agrees to drive them in his truck, and they each see Jamie's body for themselves. Later that night, Clarissa calls Matt, but he is reluctant to talk to her. Meanwhile, Layne goes back to the scene and pushes Jamie's body into the river. Later, while driving with Samson, he notices police cars near Samson's house. Layne panics, but Samson remains calm. They drive to Feck's house, and Layne leaves Samson there to hide. Meanwhile, Matt directs police to the river, where they find Jamie's body washed up on the shore. Matt is subsequently interrogated by police, who threaten to charge him with being an accessory after the fact. Matt returns home and argues with his mother and her boyfriend, and then gets into a fight with Tim, hitting him in the face. After, Tim and his friend Moko steal Moko's father's car to drive to Feck's.

In the middle of the night, Layne, Clarissa and Matt drive to Tony's house, but Tony's father chases them off with a shotgun. Layne argues with Clarissa and kicks her out of his car. Matt gets out and walks with her. They stop at a convenience store and run into John and Feck. Tim and Moko break into Feck's house in search of a gun, but find his stash of marijuana instead; they each get stoned and pass out in his house. Matt and Clarissa go to a park to talk, where they confide their mutual apathy over Jamie's murder. Meanwhile, Samson and Feck have gone to the river's edge to drink beer. Feck discusses a murder he committed years prior of his own girlfriend, and Samson drunkenly begins to brag about killing Jamie, recounting his strangling her to death with relish. Matt and Clarissa have sex in the park nearby before falling asleep, while Layne drives around town in a panic, compulsively taking pills.

At dawn, Samson falls asleep on the river bank, and Feck shoots him in the head. He returns to his home, where Tim and Moko accost him and steal his gun. Police find Layne unconscious in his car, and bring him in for questioning. At school, news reporters interview Maggie and Tony, who seem dispassionate. During history class, the teacher, Mr. Burkewaite, discusses morality, and asks Clarissa what Jamie meant to her in front of the class; she doesn't respond. Layne calls Feck's house asking where Samson is, and Feck tells him he's gone to the river; in the middle of the phone call, police break down Feck's door. The group of teenagers go to the river together, and Layne finds Samson's body nearby. Tim arrives at the scene with Feck's gun and threatens to kill Matt for hitting him the night before, but Matt talks him out of it.

Police arrive and escort the teenagers away as medical examiners remove Samson's body. In the hospital, Feck admits to killing Samson "because there was no hope for him," and confesses to his girlfriend's murder from years prior. Later, at Jamie' funeral, each of the teenagers show emotion during the wake.

Film scholar Emanuel Levy notes that the film "addresses the alienation and moral vacancy among American kids growing up in a drug-oriented, valueless culture. River's Edge has the disturbing quality of a collective fearâ€”the cherished, eagerly awaited adolescence is presented as confusing and vacuous. Unlike most 1980s teenage sex comedies, this film doesn't glamorize youth, instead depicting it as a bleak, aimless coming of age, a time of boredom, stupor, and waste."[4] However, Levy writes that the film does share in common with its peers the manner in which it presents adult figures, as "irresponsible and indifferent."[6]

While the screenplay is fiction, it draws from the November 3, 1981, murder of Marcy Renee Conrad, who was raped and strangled by Anthony Jacques Broussard in Milpitas, California.[7] Others have noticed similarities between the film and the 1984 murder of Gary Lauwers by his friend, Ricky Kasso.[8] Broussard bragged about the crime, showing the body to at least thirteen different people; despite this, the crime went unreported for two days.[9] Screenwriter Neal Jimenez was taking screenwriting courses at the University of California, Los Angeles at the time of Conrad's murder, and admitted to basing the script partially on the event.[3] Jimenez said "that the incident is merely the inspiration for the screenplay."[10]

Hemdale Film Corporation expressed interest in Jimenez's script, and agreed to distribute the film with Tim Hunter directing.[3] Hemdale were a small company that made some very good movies, like Salvador and Hoosiers. They really responded to the script and said they would finance it with Tim as the director. Producer Midge Sanford recalled: "Hemdale were a small company that made some very good movies, like Salvador and Hoosiers. They really responded to the script and said they would finance it with Tim as the director."[3] The film was in pre-production for four months, with a final budget of $1.7 million.[3]

River's Edge was the first major film for many of its actors, including Daniel Roebuck and Ione Skye.[3] On casting Keanu Reeves, casting director Carrie Frazier recalled: "He walked in the door, and I went, "Oh my god, this is my guy!" It was just because of the way he held his bodyâ€”his shoes were untied, and what he was wearing looked like a young person growing into being a man. I was over the moon about him."[3] Ione Skye was cast in the film after a casting director saw a photo of her with her brother, Donovan Leitch, who was an aspiring actor at the time; she had no acting experience, and it was her first film.[3] Auditioning for the role of the brutish Samson, Daniel Roebuck arrived at his audition in full-costume with his hair slicked back with K-Y Jelly, and two beer cans in his front pockets.[3]

For the part of Feck, director Hunter had wanted John Lithgow; the part was also offered to Harry Dean Stanton, who declined, and passed the script on to his friend, Dennis Hopper, who was cast.[3] Sanford recalled Crispin Glover had auditioned "with a wig and an outrageous take on the part. He was so out there that Sarah and I were a little nervous about what he was doing. But we trusted him and felt like it would work out in the end."[3] Corey Haim was cast in the part of Tim, but had to be replaced by Joshua John Miller after developing pneumonia during the first several days of filming.[3]

Director Hunter had originally wanted to shoot the film in Los Angeles, but instead opted to shoot near Sacramento due to it having natural locations more conducive to the screenplay.[3] The crew arrived to shoot scenes along the American River, but were forced to leave due to a major flood.[3] Hunter settled on shooting the film in Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles, a community in the foothills above Burbank. Hunter stated: "It was an area where people with tuberculosis could come to sanatoriums for the clean air. By the time we shot River's Edge, it had become a smog pocketâ€”but it was full of river rock houses that gave it a "land that time forgot" feeling."[3]

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 1986. Producer Midge Sanford recalled the screening leaving the audience divided: "Some executives from a small distribution company wouldn't look at us [after a festival screening]. People either embraced it or were very put off by it. It didn't get picked up right away."[3] The film was ultimately purchased for distribution by Island Pictures, who released the film in the United States on May 8, 1987.[2]

River's Edge received largely positive reviews from critics.[11] It holds an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 reviews with the consensus: "A harrowing tale of aimless youth, River's Edge generates considerable tension and urgency thanks to strong performances from a stellar cast including Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye." At the time of its release, the film was noted by several critics as being a contemporary-day horror film.[12]

Gene Siskel ranked River's Edge as the seventh best film of 1987, while Roger Ebert awarded the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, calling it "the best analytical film about a crime since The Onion Field and In Cold Blood."[13] Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a contemporary horror story about teen-agers, but it contains no slasher scenes or serial homicides. Its monsters are all too real."[14] The New York Times's Janet Maslin called the film "bitter and disturbing" and deemed the performances "natural and credible."[15] Vincent Canby, also of The New York Times, named the film "the year's most riveting, most frightening horror film, even if doesn't really belong in the same category with any acknowledged classics of the genre. Metaphysics has nothing to do with River's Edge, though, like Dracula, it's a tale of the undead."[16] David Ansen of Newsweek called the film "the scariest vision of youth since the alarming Brazilian movie Pixote... River's Edge pitches the audience inside this nightmare world of affectless middle-class kids and lets us watch them wallow their way through moral dilemmas they can only half articulate."[17]

In a 2015 retrospective, Salon deemed River's Edge "the darkest teen film of all time."[5] Film historian Kim Newman named the film "the definitive killer kid movie... Moral without moralizing, blackly comic without tastelessness, [and] acutely tuned in to the way dead-end teens talk."[18]

The film's soundtrack, released in 1987 by Enigma Records, features various thrash metal, reggae, and punk tracks.[19]

River's Edge was released on DVD January 23, 2001 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer home video under their "Avand-Garde Cinema" series.[20] A Blu-ray was released by Kino Lorber on January 13, 2015.[21]


who has the most finals mvps in the nba

Since its inception, the award has been given to 30 different players. Michael Jordan is a record six-time award winner.[4] Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James won the award three times in their careers. Jordan and O'Neal are the only players to win the award in three consecutive seasons (Jordan accomplished the feat on two separate occasions). Johnson is the only rookie ever to win the award,[5] as well as the youngest at 20 years old.[6] Andre Iguodala is the only winner to have not started every game in the series.[7] Jerry West, the first ever awardee, is the only person to win the award while being on the losing team in the NBA Finals.[4] Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kobe Bryant won the award twice. Olajuwon, Bryant, and James have won the award in two consecutive seasons. Abdul-Jabbar and James are the only players to win the award for two different teams. Olajuwon of Nigeria, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1993, Tony Parker of France, and Dirk Nowitzki of Germany are the only international players to win the award. Duncan is an American citizen, but is considered an "international" player by the NBA because he was not born in one of the fifty states or Washington, D.C.[8] Parker and Nowitzki are the only winners to have been trained totally outside the U.S.; Olajuwon played college basketball at Houston and Duncan at Wake Forest. Cedric Maxwell is the only Finals MVP winner eligible for the Hall of Fame who has not been voted in.[9]

The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals. The person with the highest number of votes wins the award.[1] The award was originally a black trophy with a gold basketball-shaped sphere at the top, similar to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, until a new trophy was introduced in 2005 to commemorate Bill Russell.[2][3]

On February 14, 2009, during the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the award would be renamed the "Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award" in honor of 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell.[10]


what is a medicaid waiver program in florida

Florida has several Medicaid Waiver Programs. Medicaid Waiver Programs allow recipients to 'waive' institutionalization and instead choose to direct services to assist them to live in the community.  Waiver program services may offer additional supports and services than provided by traditional Medicaid.

Florida Medicaid waiver

The Home and Community Based Services Waiver, also called the HCBS/DD Waiver or "Big" Waiver, is one of Florida's Medicaid Waiver Programs that assists people who have disabilities. These disabilities include: Cognitive impairments, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Prader-Willi syndrome,  Down syndrome, Phelan-McDermid syndrome, and Autism. The HCBS/DD medicaid waiver program helps cover the cost for things that regular medicaid does not pay for.

The HCBS Waiver currently has 28 services[1] and there is a spending cap based on the individuals needs. However, services must be "medically necessary".

Individuals that meet the following criteria are eligible to receive services under the Home and Community Based Services Waiver:

In 2012 there was a waiting list of over 22,000 people for this waiver.[3] Some of the people on the waiting list receive services from the FSL waiver.

The Florida Supported Living Waiver, also called the FSL Waiver or "Little" Waiver is another Florida Medicaid Waiver Program. This Waiver currently has a spending cap of $14,792.00.[4] There are eleven services on this waiver. Many people on the FSL Waiver are waiting to get on the HCBS Waiver. The FSL Waiver also assists people who have disabilities, and the requirements to receive services are the same as the HCBS Waiver.

Support Coordinators for the HCBS and FSL Waiver Programs assist people who have disabilities in accessing supports and services. Natural resources are used whenever possible. Florida Medicaid is "The Payer of Last Resort".

The rate for support coordination was reduced in 2011. The highest rate paid over the 18 years of the waiver was $161.60 per month, for each person served. In mid 2016 the rate was changed from the lowered $125.71 per month to $148.69,  for adults and for children living in group homes, and  from $62.86 to $74.35 for children living in family homes. Support Coordinators are on call 24/7. The average caseload size has changed. The high of 40 was reached in 1991; the low, 36.[when?][citation needed]

The maximum number of individuals served[clarification needed] by a single support coordinator is 43 full-time recipients.[citation needed]Adults count as 1 full-time recipient and children a half time recipient.

With the change in rates and caseload came changes as to the minimum frequency of visits. Adults in supported living must be seen at least once a month, and at least once every 3 months in their home. Adults in the family home must be seen at a minimum once every three months, at least once every 6 months in their home. Children in the family home must be seen at a minimum once every six months and at least once a year in the family home. Anyone in Residential Placement, group homes or foster homes, must be seen monthly.[5] Several other services have been eliminated.

Prior to Medicaid Waiver Programs,{1991} many people who had disabilities were served in nursing homes or institutions. The HCBS and FSL Waivers help people to live in their communities by proving supports and services to people who live in the community. It is believed that it is less expensive for people to receive services in the community, rather than in a nursing home or an institution.


where was lara croft cradle of life filmed

Filming lasted for three and a half months, which included six-day shoots on location in Hong Kong, Santorini, Llyn Gwynant in North Wales[4] (doubling for mainland China), and a two-week stint in Kenya for shooting at Amboseli and Hell's Gate, with the remainder of the picture filmed on soundstages in the United Kingdom.[5]  One scene in the film was set in Shanghai, but it was shot on a set and not on location.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life  is a 2003 action-adventure film based on the Tomb Raider video game series. Angelina Jolie stars as the titular Lara Croft character with supporting performances from Gerard Butler, Ciarán Hinds, Chris Barrie, Noah Taylor, Til Schweiger, Djimon Hounsou and Simon Yam. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, the film was directed by Jan de Bont and is a sequel to the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

The Cradle of Life received mostly negative reviews, though critics noted it as an improvement on its predecessor, particularly in the action sequences, and continued to praise Jolie's performance as Lara Croft. Despite this, it did not repeat its box office performance, grossing $156 million compared to the previous installment's $275 million. It was still a financial success, and plans were made for a sequel, which were cancelled when Jolie declined to reprise her role as Croft. The series was rebooted in 2018 with Alicia Vikander taking over the title role.

On Santorini island, Greece, a strong earthquake uncovers the Luna Temple. The temple was built by Alexander the Great to house his most prized treasures. Among these treasures is a glowing orb with a pattern resembling a code etched into it. Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) finds this orb; but crime lord Chen Lo (Simon Yam) attacks her group, kills her two companions and takes the orb. Lara escapes with a strange medallion.

MI6 approaches Lara with information about Pandora's box, an object from ancient legends that supposedly contains a deadly plague (the companion to the origin of life itself). The box, hidden in the mysterious Cradle of Life, can only be found with a magical sphere that serves as a map. The sphere is the same orb that was stolen by Chen Lo, who plans to sell it to Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds) - a Nobel Prize winning scientist turned bio-terrorist.

After the MI6 reveals that the sphere must be kept away from Reiss, Lara agrees to help them, with the condition that they release her old flame Terry Sheridan (Gerard Butler), who is familiar with Chen Lo's criminal operation. Together, Terry and Lara infiltrate Chen Lo's lair, where he is smuggling the Terracotta Soldiers. Lara defeats him in a fight and learns that the orb is in Hong Kong.

Retrieving the orb in a laboratory housed in a Hong Kong mall, Lara and Terry take refuge in a yacht. The next day, Lara uses the orb and learns the location of the mysterious Cradle of Life; Tanzania in Africa. After Lara sends returns information to Bryce back at Croft Manor, Reiss and his men infiltrated the mansion and capture him and Hillary. Lara and Terry travel to Tanzania then meet up with Kosa (Djimon Hounsou), the former's longtime African friend. They question a local tribe about the Cradle of Life, wherein the chief states that the Cradle of Life is in a crater protected by the "Bigfoots".

As they set out on an expedition, Reiss' men ambush them and kill the tribesmen. Outnumbered, Lara surrenders. Using her companions as hostages, Reiss forces Lara to lead him to the Cradle of Life. At the crater, they encounter the Bigfoots, cryptid apes that appear in and out of wet patches on dead trees. The creatures kill most of Reiss' men. Lara manages to find the "key hole" and drops the Orb in it. The Bigfoots melt and the entrance to the Cradle of Life opens.

Lara and Reiss are drawn into the Cradle, a labyrinth made of a strange crystalline substance where normal laws of physics do not apply. Inside, they find a pool of highly corrosive black acid (linking back to one of the myths about Pandora's box), in which the box floats. Terry arrives, frees the hostages and catches up to Lara.

Lara fights Reiss, and knocks him into the acid pool, which kills and dissolves him. Terry then announces the intention to take the box for himself. When he refuses to back down, Lara regretfully shoots him dead, replaces the box in the pool and leaves.

The budget for the film was $95 million (less than the first film's $115 million budget), and like the first film, it was financed through Tele München Gruppe. The picture was also distributed internationally by Japanese company Toho-Towa.[3]

The film also featured the new 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, first seen when Lara parachutes into the moving vehicle in Africa and takes over the wheel from Kosa. As part of Jeep's advertising campaign, it was specially customised for the film by Jeep's design team along with the film's production designers, with three copies constructed for filming.[6] 1,001 limited-run Tomb Raider models were produced—available only in silver like the film version and minus its special customisations—and put on the market to coincide with the release of the film. Jeep vice president Jeff Bell explained, "[The ad campaign] is more than just a product placement... the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is the most capable Jeep ever built, so the heroic and extreme environment in which Lara Croft uses her custom Wrangler Rubicon in Tomb Raider is accurate."[7] In the end, Lara's Rubicon had less than two total minutes of screen time in the finished film.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider â€“ The Cradle of Life holds a 25% rating out of 171 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes,[8] and a 43/100 rating on Metacritic.[9] Salon described it as a "highly enjoyable summer thrill ride."[10] Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, stating that the film was "better than the first one, more assured, more entertaining... it uses imagination and exciting locations to give the movie the same kind of pulp adventure feeling we get from the Indiana Jones movies."[11] David Rooney of Variety praised Jolie for being "hotter, faster and more commanding than last time around as the fearless heiress/adventuress, plus a little more human."[12]

The film was nonetheless heavily panned. Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald called it "another joyless, brain-numbing adventure through lackluster Indiana Jones territory";[9] James Berardinelli of ReelViews said "The first Tomb Raider was dumb fun; Cradle of Life is just plain dumb... the worst action movie of the summer."[13] Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe wrote, "It's a bullet-riddled National Geographic special [that] produces a series of dumb, dismal shootouts that are so woefully choreographed there's reason to believe Debbie Allen may be behind them." He then said of director De Bont, "He has yet to meet a contraption he couldn't use to damage your hearing."[14] Jolie earned a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actress for her performance in the film.

The film debuted in fourth place with a take of $21.8 million.[15] In the United Kingdom, the film opened at number three, earning Â£1.5 million in its first three days.[16] The film finished with a domestic gross of $65 million.

Paramount blamed the failure of the film on the poor performance of the then-latest installment of the video game series, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness.[17] After numerous delays, Angel of Darkness was rushed to shelves just over a month before the release of the movie, despite the final product being unfinished and loaded with glitches. It spawned mediocre sales while garnering mixed reviews from critics,[18] and former Eidos Interactive senior executive Jeremy Heath-Smith, who was also credited as an executive producer in the film, resigned days after the game was released.[17]

As with the original movie, the sequel opted to separate its soundtrack onto two CDs: the first, with tracks contributed by various artists; the second with Alan Silvestri's original score for the movie.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life was released on DVD and VHS on November 18, 2003; a Blu-Ray release followed on October 8, 2013.[21] A 4K UHD Blu-Ray version was released on February 27, 2018.[22]

In March 2004, producer Lloyd Levin said that The Cradle of Life had earned enough internationally for Paramount to bankroll a second sequel, but any hopes of it going into production were soon quelled by Jolie's announcement that she had no desire to play Lara Croft a third time: "I just don't feel like I need to do another one. I felt really happy with the last one. It was one we really wanted to do."[23]


how far has the opportunity rover traveled during its time on mars

Opportunity, also known as MER-B (Mars Exploration Rover – B) or MER-1, is a robotic rover active on Mars since 2004.[1]  Launched on July 7, 2003 as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover program, it landed in Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004, three weeks after its twin Spirit (MER-A) touched down on the other side of the planet.[7] With a planned 90 sol duration of activity (slightly more than 90 earth days), Spirit functioned until getting stuck in 2009 and ceased communications in 2010, while Opportunity remains active as of August 26, 2018 or 5529 sols since landing, having exceeded its operating plan by 14 years, 122 days (in Earth time). Opportunity has continued to move, make scientific observations, and report back to Earth for over 55 times its designed lifespan. As of January 23, 2018, the rover had traveled 45.09 kilometers (28.02 miles).[6]

Opportunity (rover)

The launch patch for Opportunity, featuring Duck Dodgers (Daffy Duck)

Mission highlights include the initial 90 sol mission, finding extramartian meteorites such as Heat Shield Rock (Meridiani Planum meteorite), and over two years studying Victoria crater. The rover survived dust-storms and in 2011 reached Endeavour crater, which has been described as a "second landing site".[8]

Due to the 2018 dust storms on Mars, Opportunity entered hibernation on June 12 for several weeks until the atmosphere clears again.

The primary surface mission for Opportunity was planned to last 90 sols (92 Earth days). The mission has received several extensions and has been operating for 5327 days since landing. An archive of weekly updates on the rover's status can be found at the Opportunity Update Archive.[9]

From its initial landing, by chance, into an impact crater amidst an otherwise generally flat plain, Opportunity has successfully investigated soil and rock samples and taken panoramic photos of its landing site. Its sampling allowed NASA scientists to make hypotheses concerning the presence of hematite and past presence of water on the surface of Mars. Following this, it was directed to travel across the surface of Mars to investigate another crater site, Endurance crater, which it investigated from June â€“ December 2004. Subsequently, Opportunity examined the impact site of its own heat shield and discovered an intact meteorite, now known as Heat Shield Rock, on the surface of Mars.

From late April to early June of 2005, Opportunity was perilously lodged in a sand dune, with several wheels buried in the sand. Over a six-week period Earth-based physical simulations were performed to decide how best to extract the rover from its position without risking a permanent immobilization of the valuable vehicle. Successful maneuvering a few centimeters at a time eventually freed the rover, which resumed its travels.

Opportunity was directed to proceed in a southerly direction to Erebus crater, a large, shallow, partially buried crater and a stopover on the way south towards Victoria crater, between October 2005 and March 2006. It experienced some mechanical problems with its robotic arm.

In late September 2006, Opportunity reached Victoria crater and explored along the rim in a clockwise direction. In June 2007 it returned to Duck Bay, its original arrival point; in September 2007 it entered the crater to begin a detailed study. In August 2008, Opportunity left Victoria crater for Endeavour crater, which it reached on August 9, 2011.[10]

Here at the rim of the Endeavour crater the rover moved around a geographic feature named Cape York. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter had detected phyllosilicates there, and the rover analyzed the rocks with its instruments to check this sighting on the ground.
This structure was analyzed in depth until summer 2013. At May 2013 the rover was heading south to a hill named Solander Point.

Opportunity's total odometry as of June 27, 2016 (sol 4417) was 42.85 km (26.63 mi), while the dust factor is 0.725.
[11] Since January 2013, the solar array dust factor (one of the determinants of solar power production) varied from a relatively dusty 0.467 on December 5, 2013 (sol 3507) to a relatively clean 0.964 on May 13, 2014 (sol 3662).[12]

In December 2014, NASA reported that Opportunity was suffering from "amnesia" events in which the rover fails to write data, e.g. telemetry information, to non-volatile memory. The hardware failure is believed to be due to an age-related fault in one of the rover's seven memory banks. As a result, NASA had aimed to force the rover's software to ignore the failed memory bank,[13] however amnesia events continued to occur which eventually resulted in vehicle resets.  In light of this, on Sol 4027 (May 23, 2015), the rover was configured to operate in RAM-only mode, completely avoiding the use of non-volatile memory for storage.[14]

As of May 2018 into the early days of June, Opportunity was still functioning on the surface of Mars, and engaged in further scientific exploration.[15]

In early June, the large global-scale dust storms hit and within a few days the rover was not getting enough power to maintain communications, with last normal communication on June 10, 2018. NASA stated they do not expect to resume communication until after the global dust storm subsides.[16]

The scientific objectives of the Mars Exploration Rover mission are to:[17]

During the next two decades, NASA will continue to conduct missions to address whether life ever arose on Mars. The search begins with determining whether the Martian environment was ever suitable for life. Life, as we understand it, requires water, so the history of water on Mars is critical to finding out if the Martian environment was ever conducive to life. Although the Mars Exploration Rovers do not have the ability to detect life directly, they are offering very important information on the habitability of the environment in the planet's history.

Opportunity (along with its twin, Spirit) is a six-wheeled, solar-powered robot standing 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) high, 2.3 meters (7.5 ft) wide, and 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) long and weighing 180 kilograms (400 lb). Six wheels on a rocker-bogie system enable mobility. Each wheel has its own motor, the vehicle is steered at front and rear and is designed to operate safely at tilts of up to 30 degrees. Maximum speed is 5 centimeters per second (2.0 in/s) although average speed is about a fifth of this (0.89 centimeters per second (0.35 in/s)). Both Spirit and Opportunity have pieces of the fallen World Trade Center's metal on them that were "turned into shields to protect cables on the drilling mechanisms".[18][19]

Solar arrays generate about 140 watts for up to fourteen hours per Martian day (sol) while rechargeable lithium ion batteries store energy for use at night. Opportunity's onboard computer uses a 20 MHz RAD6000 CPU with 128 MB of DRAM, 3 MB of EEPROM, and 256 MB of flash memory. The rover's operating temperature ranges from −40 to +40 °C (−40 to 104 °F) and radioisotope heaters provide a base level of heating, assisted by electrical heaters when necessary.[20] A gold film and a layer of silica aerogel provide insulation.

Communications depends on an omnidirectional low-gain antenna communicating at a low data rate and a steerable high-gain antenna, both in direct contact with Earth. A low gain antenna is also used to relay data to spacecraft orbiting Mars.

Fixed science/engineering instruments include:

The rover arm holds the following instruments:

The cameras produce 1024-pixel by 1024-pixel images, the data is compressed with ICER, stored, and transmitted later.

The rover's name was chosen through a NASA sponsored student essay competition.

Examples of watt-hours per sol collected by the rover.[22][clarification needed] The rover uses a combination of solar cells and a rechargeable chemical battery.[23] This class of rover has two rechargeable lithium batteries, each composed of 8 cells with 10 amp-hour capacity.[24] At the start of the mission the solar panels could provide up to around 900 watt-hours to recharge the battery and power system in one Sol, but this can vary due to a variety of factors.[23] In Eagle crater the cells were producing about 840 watt-hours, but by Sol 319 in December 2004, it had dropped to 730 watt-hours.[25]

Like Earth, Mars has seasonal variations that reduce sunlight during winter.  However, since the Martian year is longer than that of the Earth, the seasons fully rotate roughly once every 2 Earth years.[26] By 2016, MER-B had endured seven Martian winters, during which times power levels drop which can mean the rover avoids doing activities that use a lot of power.[26] During its first winter power levels dropped to under 300 watt-hours per day for two months, but some later winters were not as bad.[26]

Another factor that can reduce received power is dust in the atmosphere, especially dust storms.[27] Dust storms have occurred quite frequently when Mars is closest to the Sun.[27] Global dust storms in 2007 reduced power levels for Opportunity and Spirit so much they could only run for a few minutes each day.[27] Due to the 2018 dust storms on Mars, Opportunity entered hibernation mode on June 12 until the atmosphere clears.[28][29]

Opportunity's launch was managed by NASA's Launch Services Program. This was the first launch of the Delta II Heavy. The launch period went from June 25 to July 15, 2003. The first launch attempt occurred on June 28, 2003, but the spacecraft launched nine days later on July 7, 2003 due to delays for range safety and winds, then later to replace items on the rocket (insulation and a battery). Each day had two instantaneous launch opportunities. On the day of launch, the launch was delayed to the second opportunity (11:18Â p.m. EDT) in order to fix a valve.[30]

In late December 2004, Opportunity reached the impact site of its heat shield, and took a panorama around Sol 325.[31]

Opportunity has provided substantial evidence in support of the mission's primary scientific goals: to search for and characterize a wide range of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water activity on Mars. In addition to investigating the water, Opportunity has also obtained astronomical observations and atmospheric data.

Honoring Opportunity's great contribution to the exploration of Mars, an asteroid was named Opportunity: 39382 Opportunity.[32] The name was proposed by Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld who, along with Cornelis Johannes van Houten and Tom Gehrels, discovered the asteroid on September 24, 1960. Opportunity's lander is Challenger Memorial Station.[33]

On July 28, 2014, it was announced that Opportunity, having traversed over 40 km (25 mi), had become the rover achieving the longest off-world distance, surpassing the previous record of 39 km (24 mi) on the Moon by Lunokhod 2.[34][35]

On March 24, 2015, NASA celebrated Opportunity having traveled the distance of a marathon race, 42.195 kilometers (26.219Â mi), from the start of Opportunity's landing and traveling on Mars.[36]

On Sol 3894 (Jan. 6, 2015) Opportunity reached the summit of "Cape Tribulation," which is 443 feet (135 meters) above "Botany Bay" level and the highest point yet reached by the rover on western rim of Endeavour Crater according to NASA.[38]

The rover can take pictures with its different cameras, but only the PanCam camera has the ability to photograph a scene with different color filters. The panorama views are usually built up from PanCam images. As of February 3, 2018, Opportunity had returned 224,642 pictures.[39][40]

A selection of panoramas from the mission:

An example of a rover  traverse map featuring a line showing path of the rover, and mission sols, which are Mars days counted from its landing and typical of Mars surface mission time reporting. Topographic lines and various feature names are also common


when did heroes of the storm come out

Heroes of the Storm (HotS) is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and macOS that was released on June 2, 2015.[1] The game features heroes from Blizzard's franchises including Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, The Lost Vikings, and Overwatch. The game uses both free-to-play and freemium models and is supported by micropayments, which can be used to purchase heroes, visual alterations for the heroes in the game, and mounts.[2][3] Blizzard does not call the game a "multiplayer online battle arena" or an "action real-time strategy" because they feel it is something different with a broader playstyle; they refer to it as an online "hero brawler".[4]

Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm revolves around online 5-versus-5 matches, operated through Blizzard's online gaming service Battle.net. Players can choose from different game modes, which include playing against computer-controlled heroes or other players. Initially, no heroes are available for permanent use; however, players may choose from a list of heroes that are free to use from a weekly rotation. By using gold coins, the in-game currency, or through microtransactions, they can gain permanent access to a hero. As of March 2017, there are currently 77 heroes in the game, divided into four separate roles: Assassin, Warrior, Support, and Specialist. These heroes include one multiclass hero.[5] There are currently 14 maps available to play, all of which have different objectives to secure, with some having different victory conditions.[6]

Experience points, which can be gained by being nearby enemy units when they're killed, are shared across the entire team. When a team reaches a certain experience point threshold, every hero on that team levels up, acquiring slightly amplified powers. Every few levels, players may select a talent which offers a new ability, or augments an existing one. This leveling system emphasizes the importance of teamwork and planning, since a player's action can affect the whole team.

Players can also mount different animals, such as horses, lizards, or unicorns, to increase their movement speed, automatically dismounting when attacking, receiving damage or using any ability.

The first official Ranked Play season began on June 14, 2016 and ended at August 23.[8] Each Ranked Play season is set to last for approximately 10â€“14 weeks.

The rules of Heroes Brawl change every week.

Matchmaking is based on the Elo rating system with proprietary adjustments.[citation needed] Players are matched against people with similar rating(s).[citation needed]

As a part of the arcade feature for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, a custom map called "Blizzard DOTA" was announced alongside several other mods of Blizzard Entertainment at BlizzCon 2010.[9] At that time, the map was developed to showcase the modding abilities that were to be added to StarCraft II.[10] In 2011, however, development of Blizzard DOTA was rebooted and demoed at BlizzCon 2011.[11][12] In comparison to the previous iteration previewed at BlizzCon 2010, the gameplay was described as "fast" and "streamlined."[13][14]

Following the announcement of Dota 2 by Valve Corporation, Rob Pardo, the executive vice president of Blizzard Entertainment, expressed concern at Valve using and trademarking a name that originated from within the Warcraft III community[citation needed]. Following a failed trademark injunction on the part of Riot Games, Blizzard acquired Riot's subsidiary, DotA-Allstars, LLC., the original company that represented the servicing of Defense of the Ancients[citation needed]. Subsequently[citation needed], Blizzard filed an opposition against Valve for claiming the DotA trademark.[15] On May 11, 2012, Blizzard and Valve announced that the dispute had been settled, with Valve retaining the commercial franchising rights to the term "Dota", while Blizzard would change the name of Blizzard DOTA to Blizzard All-Stars. Blizzard, however, will retain the right to use DOTA name non-commercially. This includes promoting DOTA-style maps made for Blizzard games by the community.[16]

In June 2012, Dustin Browder, the director of StarCraft II, stated that Blizzard All-Stars did not have a release date, but that it would definitely be after the release of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm.[3] In an interview in January 2013, he noted that parts of the game were "starting to feel really good", with "a really tight multiplayer experience", but that there was no way to project a timeline on it, since it was not complete enough to run a company-wide internal alpha test.[17] In February 2013, the Activision Blizzard fourth quarter 2012 earnings report listed Blizzard All-Stars as one of the areas of continued investment for Blizzard throughout 2013.[18] Dustin Browder commented in March 2013 that a few artists had transitioned from the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm team, to work on Blizzard All-Stars for the time being along with the few designers on the team.[19]

In August 2013, Blizzard president Mike Morhaime said that the game had reached a significant internal testing milestone, and was going into wider internal testing. Describing it as an "action real-time strategy" game, he said that Blizzard was looking to put their own spin on the genre and challenge some of the existing design paradigms. The Blizzard All-Stars team was expanded in May 2013, from some of the resources who were reallocated when Blizzard's Titan project was rebooted and the team downsized.[20] On October 17, 2013, the name of the game was changed to Heroes of the Storm.[21]

Heroes of the Storm entered a technical alpha testing phase on March 13, 2014,[22] which went offline on September 22, 2014.[23] The technical alpha went back online on October 7, 2014 for North America, Latin America, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The servers for Europe, Korea, China and Taiwan went online in the following weeks.[24] The technical alpha continued until the beginning of the closed beta. Closed beta testing started on January 13, 2015.[25] As of February 2015, over 9 million players had signed up for eligibility to receive an invite to beta testing.[26] The open beta of the game began on May 19, 2015, and the full version of the game was released on June 2, 2015.[1]

While the game was in Alpha testing, Blizzard ran a promotion as part of the pre-order for Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, which unlocked Valla as a free hero.[27] To mark the release of Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard had crossovers implemented between Blizzard games. Players who reached account level 12 in Heroes of the Storm received the Heroes of the Storm themed card back in Hearthstone and after winning 100 play mode matches in Hearthstone received the Hearthstone Card mount in Heroes of the Storm.[28] Players who reached account level 20 in Heroes of the Storm received a Grave Golem battle pet in World of Warcraft and after reaching level 100 in World of Warcraft received an Ironside Dire Wolf mount in Heroes of the Storm.[29] After the Diablo hero patch, any player who purchased Diablo III was given the Diablo hero free for a limited time; players who reach level 12 in Heroes of the Storm will receive a unique pennant and portrait frame in Diablo III and reaching level 70 Season 4 and beyond receive Malthael's Phantom mount in Heroes of the Storm.[30] Players who purchase the StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void deluxe or collector's editions receive a Void Seeker mount in Heroes of the Storm and purchasing any edition of Legacy of the Void unlocks the Artanis hero.[31] Players who purchase the Origins Edition of Overwatch unlock Tracer as a free hero.[32]

During the Nexus Challenge event (November 15, 2016 â€“ January 4, 2017), each player who completed 15 games of Heroes of the Storm together with a friend received the Oni Genji skin, Oni Genji Portrait and Oni Genji Spray in Overwatch, and Zarya as a free hero in Heroes of the Storm. After completing 30 games with a friend, players unlocked four additional heroes (Auriel, Greymane, Kerrigan, Li-Ming), the Orochi Hovercycle mount, and a 30-Day Stimpack in Heroes of the Storm.[33]

During the For Azeroth! event (February 14, 2017 – March 14, 2017, then extended for March 17, 2017 – March 26, 2017), each player who completed 15 games of Heroes of the Storm together with a friend while playing as a Warcraft character, received a Flames of Judgement Charger mount and a 10-day stim pack to use in-game. They also received a Primal Flamesaber mount for World of Warcraft.[34]

During the Nexus Challenge 2.0 event (April 24, 2017 â€“ May 22, 2017), all players could choose to permanently unlock 1 of 4 Mega Bundles; Assassin, Flex, Support & Specialist, and Tanks & Bruisers. For each of the 4 weeks of the event, players who completed 5 matches with a friend could unlock various Overwatch-themed rewards for the players' Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch accounts.[35]

On March 29, 2017, game director Alan Dabiri announced Heroes of the Storm 2.0, described as "a culmination of all the ways Blizzard transformed the Nexus since launch, plus plenty of radical additions on their way".[36][37] A major feature of the patch was a revamp of the player and hero progression systems. The level caps (40 for players in general, and 20 for individual heroes) were removed, and the uneven experience curve for levelling heroes was smoothed out. Another feature was the introduction of Loot Chests which contain cosmetic rewards, similar to the system used in Overwatch. In addition to heroes, skins, and mounts, the chests can also include new portraits, banners, custom announcer voices (similar to StarCraft II), hero voice lines, and graffiti sprays (both similar to Overwatch). A loadout system for cosmetic additions was also included. The in-game shop was remodeled and retitled "Collection", and two new currencies were added in addition to the existing Gold: Gems (which can be earned in-game or purchased with real money), used to buy heroes, Loot Chests, and featured items, and Shards, awarded from Loot Chests and from duplicate items from Loot Chests.[38] As part of the announcement, a new Diablo hero, the Amazon Cassia, was highlighted.[39]

Heroes 2.0 went into beta testing on March 29, and was released on April 25.[40]

Heroes of the Storm received generally favorable reviews upon release. Metacritic calculated an average score of 86 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 57 reviews.[41]

GameSpot awarded it 9 out of 10, summarizing "A fantastic casual-competitive game that offers untold hours of enjoyment."[43] IGN awarded it 8 out of 10, saying "Heroes of the Storm packs a ton of variety and excellent characters. Some of this MOBA's modes work better than others, but it's a safe bet that it'll deliver a fun match."[46]

The game was nominated for "Choice Video Game" at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards.[50]