Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C., Feb. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- tw telecom (NASDAQ: TWTC), a global provider of managed services, including Business Ethernet, converged and IP VPN solutions for enterprises and government entities in South Carolina and throughout the U.S., announced today that it was awarded a multi-year contract by the State of South Carolina to offer industry-leading enhanced data transmission and co-location services to the State's agencies and higher educational institutions.

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"We welcome the opportunity to work with the state of South Carolina and its agencies and are excited to prove how our solutions can help government agencies become more effective," said Christopher Oberg, Vice President and General Manager of tw telecom in South Carolina.  "We are looking forward to delivering these innovative solutions and our world-class customer care to the State of South Carolina."

The agreement with the South Carolina Budget and Control Board authorizes state departments, agencies and colleges and universities to obtain Ethernet, co-location and DS1 services from tw telecom to improve data transmission, connectivity and networking performance while minimizing costs. 

tw telecom connects more commercial buildings to its resilient, fiber network than any other competitive communications provider.  It has the third highest market share of retail Ethernet ports in service, maintains its own metro fiber networks and has developed one of the ten most interconnected IP backbones in the world.  tw telecom has the national capability, robust product portfolio and national/local customer care teams to support mission critical enterprise and government agency applications and to deliver the most sought after customer experience in the industry.

About tw telecom tw telecom holdings inc., a unit of tw telecom inc., headquartered in Littleton, Colo., provides managed network services, specializing in business Ethernet and transport data networking, Internet access, local and long distance voice, VoIP, VPN and security, to enterprise organizations and communications services companies throughout the U.S., and globally.  As a leading provider of integrated and converged network solutions, tw telecom delivers customers overall economic value, quality, service and improved business productivity.  Please visit www.twtelecom.com for more information.

SOURCE tw telecom

Type of helmet lining appears to have no significant effect

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Concussions and the issues that can occur following one, continue to be a serious problem for football players. However, one simple game strategy: proper helmet fit, may be one of the easiest game winners for prevention, say researchers presenting their study at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Francisco.

"Athletes wearing properly fitted helmets, as reported by team certified athletic trainers, were 82% less likely to experience loss of consciousness (LOC) with a concussion. Helmet age and condition, (new vs. reconditioned) were not significant predictors of amnesia or LOC," said one of the paper's authors, Joseph Torg, M.D. of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

Researchers looked at reports from 1,398 concussion events collected by the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance System using High School RIOTM. They used loss of consciousness (LOC) and amnesia as end points to determine concussion severity. Out of those studied, 44 individuals experienced LOC and 267 experienced some form of amnesia. Odds ratios for LOC were calculated based on helmet fit, inner helmet padding systems, athlete age and helmet condition (new vs. reconditioned.)

There is no definitive data that advanced football helmet technology and design is more protective against concussion or intracranial hemorrhage. In fact, current data indicates that helmet fit and air bladder lining may be associated with both concussion and intracranial hemorrhage.

"As we look at preventing concussions and minimizing risk, it is important to realize that it is the responsibility of the athletic director and head football coach to have policies that: Insure that each player has a properly fitted helmet and that a responsible adult supervises and oversees proper helmet air bladder inflation on a weekly basis," said Torg.

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids. For more information on AOSSM or the STOP Sports Injuries campaign, visit www.sportsmed.org or www.stopsportsinjuries.org

Contact:  AOSSM Director of Communications, Lisa Weisenberger, at 847/655-8647 or email lisa@aossm.org

SOURCE American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11: PENNIES

Profile America — Saturday, February 11th.  Today's the day to walk around the house and take stock of all the places you've got pennies stashed away — coffee cans, sugar bowls, candy dishes — or loose in a drawer.  The reason to find them is because tomorrow is Lost Penny Day — the same day as the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, whose likeness is on the copper penny.  The idea is to bundle up all those pennies and donate them to a homeless shelter, the local humane society, or any local charitable organization.  And then, human nature being what it is, the pennies can start building up again.  Americans are known as being generous, and we each report giving more than $4,300 a year to charity.  Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America—People, Places, and Our Economy.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2005, p. 130Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 584

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

New Study Investigates Trunk Positioning on Performance As Well

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Elbow position alone appeared to not affect injury rates and performance in college-level, male pitchers say researchers presenting at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Francisco, CA.

"The elbow's position in relation to an injury and enhanced performance in baseball pitchers is highly dependent upon the trunk's position," said lead researcher, Carl W. Nissen, MD of Elite Sports Medicine and Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Farmington, CT. "Our research showed that the pitching motion is complex and a direct relationship between true elbow position and how much stress is placed on a joint does not appear to exist."

The researchers studied 55 collegiate-level, male pitchers who pitched a fastball towards a target 60'6" away. Kinematic data was collected using a Vicon 512 motion capture system, and kinetic data was calculated using custom Matlab programming based on inverse dynamic techniques.

Visual elbow drag had a positive association with ball velocity (p=0.046). Regression analysis showed that for every 10cm of visual elbow drag, ball velocity was decreased by 1.3m/s.

"The results of this study suggest that an improperly positioned elbow (visual or true) is not a factor in increasing injury rates as neither elbow drop nor drag correlated with elbow stress. Elbow drag, however, did correlate with decreased ball velocity demonstrating that elbow position is important for pitcher performance," said Nissen.

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. AOSSM is also a founding partner of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign to prevent overuse and traumatic injuries in kids. For more information on AOSSM or the STOP Sports Injuries campaign, visit www.sportsmed.org or www.stopsportsinjuries.org.

Contact: AOSSM Director of Communications, Lisa Weisenberger, at 847/655-8647 or e-mail lisa@aossm.org

SOURCE American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine