Total Number Of Calls Research Articles

The number of Great Tit mobbers influences the mobbing response of heterospecific birds

Many species mob predators to drive them away. Mobbing carries personal risk, but the risk of injury or death declines and the likelihood of repelling the predator increases in larger groups. The capacity to evaluate the number of mobbers before joining a mobbing group may be highly beneficial for individuals when deciding to join. Although recent studies have found that birds can use individual vocal discrimination to assess the number of conspecifics involved in initiating mobbing events, it is little known whether birds are able to evaluate the number of heterospecific mobbers. In this study, we investigated whether the number of heterospecifics responding to mobbing calls of Great Tits Parus major was influenced by the number of callers (a mix of Great Tit callers simulated by playbacks and live Great Tits attracted to playbacks, range one to seven callers). The total number of responding heterospecific individuals and species was positively influenced by the total number of callers, with heterospecifics responding more to larger than smaller Great Tit groups. However, these results may be driven by the total number of calls, call overlap and increased noise generated by the additional mobbers, and not the number per se. These findings therefore allow us to assess whether birds are more inclined to join a mobbing group when it consists of more heterospecific callers, but we cannot tell whether birds use individual vocal discrimination to assess the number of heterospecific callers.

Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Resource Utilization During COVID-19.

IntroductionKey measures in preventing spread of the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are social distancing and stay-at-home mandates. These measures along with other stressors have the potential to increase incidences of intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual assault, and child maltreatment.MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of county police dispatches, emergency department (ED) visits, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) consults, Domestic Violence Healthcare Project (DVHP) team consults, and Child Protection Team consults at a large, tertiary, Level I trauma center. We queried International Classification of Diseases Revision 10 codes most specific to IPV, sexual assault, and child maltreatment from March–October 2020 compared to 2019. Similarly, the number of consults performed by SANE, DVHP, and our Child Protection Team were collected. We compared all ED visits and consultations to total ED visits for the reviewed time period. Finally, the total number of calls and referrals to a child advocacy center and resource call line for victims were recorded during this timeframe.ResultsPolice dispatches for IPV-related assaults increased by 266 reports from 2019 to 2020 (P = 0.015). Emergency department visits related to IPV increased from 0.11% of visits in 2019 to 0.15% in 2020 (P = 0.032), and DVHP consults increased from 0.31% in 2019 to 0.48% in 2020 of ED visits in the first three months (P < 0.001). Child maltreatment visits increased from 0.47% of visits in 2019 to 0.81% of visits in 2020 (P = 0.028), and a higher percentage of patients required Child Protection team consults from 1% in 2019 to 1.6% in 2020 (P = 0.004). Sexual assault-related visits and SANE consults both showed a small increase that was not statistically significant. Fewer calls and referrals were made to our child advocacy center and resource call line, decreasing by 99 referrals and 252 calls, respectively.ConclusionDespite decreased ED volumes throughout the pandemic, we observed an increase in police dispatches, ED visits, and utilization of hospital consult services related to IPV and child maltreatment following the initiation of stay-at-home orders. However, use of community resources, such as the local child advocacy center, declined.

A retrospective review of calls to the Poisons Information Helpline of the Western Cape during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.

BackgroundSince the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, poison centres worldwide have reported an increase in exposures to chemicals used for infection prevention. Increased availability and use could lead to an increase in exposures. Potential effects on a South African Poison Information Helpline were unknown, therefore a study was performed to describe changes in call volume and profile of poison exposures.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on an observational database of telephone enquiries. All human-related poisoning exposure call data collected from 01 March to 31 August during 2018, 2019 and 2020 were extracted and analysed. Summary statistics were used to describe all variables.ResultsThe total number of calls were 5137, 5508, and 5181 in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively. The monthly call number during 2020 was mostly less than in 2019. More calls were received from the public calls (39.4% vs 33.1%) and for accidental exposures (65.6% vs 62.3%) increased during 2020 compared to 2019. Exposures to pharmaceuticals decreased by 14.8% from 2019 to 2020, while exposures to eucalyptus oil more than doubled from 21 in 2019 to 43 during 2020. Exposures to antiseptics and disinfectants increased by 60.4%, mainly due to hand sanitisers exposure which showed a 26-fold increase from 2019 (n = 6) to 2020 (n = 156).ConclusionA change in the profile of poison exposures was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdown regulations and greater availability of antiseptics and disinfectants probably led to the increase in exposures. Although symptoms were mostly mild, the public should be educated on safe storage and proper use of all chemicals.

Crisis line strategy of public health for suicide prevention: problems and solutions

Background. It has been about 40 years since Russian public healthcare used the telephone crisis line for suicide prevention. The crisis line is a crucial support resource for people in emotional crises and decreases suicidal rates - however, few problems need to be solved to optimize crisis line service. The purpose is to reveal limitations and find possible ways of improvement emergent help for people with suicidal behaviour example, the crisis line of Krasnoyarsk Area Psychoneurologic Dispensary № 1. Material and methods. Crisis line service telephone calls over nine years (2011-2019) were analyzed. Total number of calls, number of calls with emotional crisis and suicidal behaviour, calls structure and their multiplicity. IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 22 was used for statistical analysis of data. Results. Total number of calls over nine years (2011-2019) was 21.496, of the 1.327 calls from the crisis patients (3.8-9.0% of all calls) and 574 calls from the patients with suicide behaviour (1.8-3.6% of all calls). Most calls were regarding psychological problems (36.5%), receive information (27.5%) and calls regarding psychiatric or somatic health (27.5%). Conclusion. Low proportion of crisis and suicidal calls reflects insufficient population coverage with targeted assistance. In order to improve the abilities of the crisis counselling line, we suggest patronage of patients with suicidal attempts after discharge to prevent its recurrence. A risk management strategy using a crisis line will improve the efficacy of suicide prevention measures.

Medical imaging call centre: a communication success story

To evaluate utilisation of a medical imaging call centre (MICC) at a multi-site, academic radiology department, focusing on communication of critical, urgent, or significant unexpected findings. Institutional research ethics board approval was obtained. All calls made to MICC from 1 January to 31 December 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. The total number of calls, date, and reason of each call, level of report alert, and turnaround time (TAT) were recorded. Level 1, 2, and 3 alerts were defined as "potentially life-threatening new/unexpected findings", "could result in morbidity/mortality", or "not immediately life-threatening or urgent", respectively. TAT was defined as the time from alert request received by the MICC until acknowledgement of receipt by the referring physician, with a desired TAT of 60 min, 3 h, and 3 days for each level, respectively. The MICC received 29,799 calls in 2019, on average 2,483 (range 1,989-3,098) calls per month. The most common indications for contacting the MICC were to request imaging reports to be expedited (14,916 calls, 50%) and issuing report alerts to communicate unexpected or urgent findings (7,060 calls, 24%). Average number and range of calls for Level 1, 2, and 3 alerts were 57 (39-80), 345 (307-388), and 187 (127-215) per month, respectively. Average TAT for Level 1, 2, and 3 report alerts were 59 min, 2 h 26 min, and 19 h 39 min, respectively. The MICC received a large volume of calls and was a successful method for timely communication of unexpected or urgent imaging findings using a three-tiered alert system.

State primary standard of gas volumetric and mass flow rate units GET 118-2017: history of creation, confirmation of calibration and measurement capabilities

The history of the creation of the State primary standard of gas volumetric and mass flow rate units GET 118-2017 is presented. The significant role of international comparisons was noted at various stages of the creation of GET 118-2017: the comparisons results confirmed and made it possible to include in the KCDB the calibration and measurement capabilities of the Russian Federation in the field of gas volumetric flow measurements, and also helped to determine the direction and list of measures to improve the standard. A patented comparison method for calibrating critical nozzles, implemented in GET 118-2017 for transfer the units of volumetric and mass flow rates of gas to working standards, is described. The design, composition and characteristics of GET 118-2017 are presented. Currently, more than 700 working standards of gas volumetric and mass flow rates used in the Russian Federation and some KOOMET member countries are traced to GET 118-2017, the total number of calls to GET 118-2017 for the transfer of measurement units exceeds 3500 per year.

Metaheuristics in the decentralization of SAMU bases using simulation in northeastern Brazil.

The growth of the urban population exerts considerable pressure on municipalities' public managers to focus their attention on providing emergency medical care that meets the growing demand for emergency pre-hospital medical care. Currently, there are a significant number of traffic accidents and other serious occurrences, such as heart attacks, drownings, epidemics, fires and disasters (floods, landslides, earthquakes) that demand a prompt and seamless response from pre-hospital medical care. As a result of such scenario, the present article endeavours to apply a dual-coverage mathematical model (DSM-Double Standard Model) to define the optimal location of the Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) decentralized dispatch bases in Natal/RN and conduct a simulation study to evaluate the displacement of ambulances between such bases. The methodological course that was followed by this research constitutes of 12 steps. The location of decentralized bases for sending emergency ambulances was established using the DSM model and the simulation model was performed using the FlexSim© software version 2018 evaluating base coverage in relation to the total number of calls by demand points for different scenarios. The results obtained throughout the research demonstrated the feasibility of redefining the decentralized bases of SAMU/Natal ambulances as a strategy to reduce response time and guarantee compliance with performance parameters established by international organizations (the World Health Organization, for instance, establishes the time of 8minutes for emergency medical service calls response). The simulation study showed a significant reduction in response time, by up to 60% in some cases. The proposition of new locations for the decentralized dispatch bases of the SAMU/Natal can provide an overall significant reduction on the ambulance response time, so as to contribute to expedite the initiation of treatment of patients, if necessary, sent to hospitals.

Организационные аспекты оптимизации работы службы скорой медицинской помощи г. Сургута

Aim. To analyze the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the ambulance and emergency medical services in Surgut in the conditions of redirecting calls with urgent conditions to the emergency departments of outpatient clinics. Materials and methods. The study was conducted in the period from 2013 to 2018 on the basis of the Surgut city clinical ambulance station in Surgut. In accordance with the set aim of the research was defined these forms of statistical reporting № 40 “Report of the station (Department), hospital of emergency medical care” (app. by order of the Ministry of health and social development of the Russian Federation from December 2, 2009 № 942 “On approval of statistical tools stations (offices), hospital emergency medical service”). Results. The experience of redirecting calls with urgent conditions to emergency departments of outpatient clinics in Surgut, which began at the end of 2012, showed that during the period from 2013 to 2018, with an increase in the number of calls (by 15.9%) to the ambulance service, there was a decrease (by 6.4%) in the daily load on the team from 15.8 visits in 2013 to 14.8 visits in 2018. At the same time, the share of departures of the ambulance with the arrival time to the patient in less than 20 minutes after the call, the total number of calls, with an increase from 63.9% in 2013 to 78.1% in 2018, mortality before the arrival of the ambulance, with a reduction (36.1%) from 302,0%000 in 2013 to 192,8%000 in 2018, successful resuscitation at the exit from height (22.3%) from 8.5%000 in 2013 to 10.4%000 in 2018. Conclusion. Reducing the number of visits of emergency medical service teams for urgent conditions, by redirecting requests from patients with chronic diseases to the emergency departments of medical organizations of outpatient clinics during the operation of these institutions, reduced mortality at the pre-hospital stage of medical care, and increased the efficiency of the ambulance station when providing emergency medical care. Due to the control of the standard time for making emergency calls by the dispatcher service of the ambulance station, cases of unintentional failure to provide medical care are excluded. All cases of return of forwarded calls to the ambulance service are transferred to the ambulance team for execution, followed by an analysis of the reasons for violation of the quality criteria established by the Territorial program of state guarantees of free medical care to the population of the Khanty-Mansiyskiy Autonomous okrug – Yugra.

TELEMEDICINE IN TIMES OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE-19 AT A TERTIARY CARE GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL IN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Objective: The present study aimed to describe the common symptoms and diagnosis for each specialty which can be used in future for expansion of teleconsultation services and implementation of the E Sanjeevani model in health care.&#x0D; Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study which comprises the data collected from various specialties over a 4-month period. The telemedicine consultations were given by the consultants of the concerned specialty in adherence to the telemedicine guidelines issued by the government and mostly generic names of the medicine were advised to the patients. The demographic details, chief complaint of the patient, diagnosis, and treatment were recorded.&#x0D; Results: The total number of calls which was received in 4 months period at the telemedicine center in Government Medical College, Ayodhya, was 4848. Maximum number of calls was attended by the department of obstetrics and gynecology which was 771 (15.9%). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had a substantial and transformative influence on routine clinical practice across the entire clinical continuum in a very short period of time.&#x0D; Conclusion: The use of telemedicine emerged as a critical tool to improve the provision of health services. The virtual media and other technologies that can be delivered to patients doorsteps need to strengthened. The trailer which telemedicine showed up in times of COVID-19 can definitely produce a good show in days to come with proper communication between the service provider and receiver.

The effect of anthropogenic noise and weather conditions on male calls in the bladder grasshopper Bullacris unicolor

ABSTRACT Acoustic communication in animals relies upon specific contexts and environments for effective signal transmission. Increasing anthropogenic noise pollution and different weather conditions can disrupt acoustic communication. In this study, we investigated call parameter differences in the bladder grasshopper Bullacris unicolor inhabiting two sites in close proximity to each other that differed in their noise levels. Calling activity was monitored via passive acoustic recorders. Weather conditions, including wind speed, temperature and humidity, were also recorded. We found that the interval between successive calls increased with higher noise levels at both sites, and the peak frequency became lower. The total number of calls detected also decreased with anthropogenic noise, but this relationship was only evident at the noisier site. In addition, grasshoppers shifted the timing of their calls to later in the night at the noisier site, possibly to take advantage of relatively lower noise levels. We also found that weather conditions, particularly temperature, had a significant influence on call parameters. Further studies are thus needed to disentangle the effects of anthropogenic noise and environmental variables on calling activity in this species. Our results lend support to the growing concern regarding the effects of noise pollution on animal acoustic signalling systems and also highlight the complexity of factors which affect sound signalling in natural environments.

EstiDroid: Estimate API Calls of Android Applications Using Static Analysis Technology

Tracking API calls of an Android application (app) has significant value for deeply understanding the app's running behaviors, so that to detect security damages, sensitive information leakages, energy consumptions, system resources occupations of the app, etc. However, existing methods track API calls of a target app through launching and manipulating the app in a real or simulated operating environment. The entire process is time consuming, which leads to low efficiency for practical system executing batch analysis for a considerable scale of apps. In order to enhance the speed of API calls tracking, in this paper, we propose a static analysis method, called EstiDroid, to estimate API calls of Android apps by statically analyzing the apps without actually running them. EstiDroid is composed of a static analyzer and an estimation algorithm. To analyze a target app, EstiDroid first obtains several types of static information from the app's.APK file via the static analyzer, then, the estimation algorithm is employed to establish the estimation model for the app based on the static information. Finally, according to the model, the proportion of each API's calls in the total number of calls is estimated. In experiments, 300 apps are tested via EstiDroid and manual operation in smartphone, the results show that EstiDroid only consumed 49242ms on average compared with manual testing, and it reached 84.06% average similarity and 90.74% maximum similarity compared with the API calls tracked in real environments.

Migratory behavior of eastern North Pacific gray whales tracked using a hydrophone array.

Eastern North Pacific gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling from their summer feeding areas in the Bering and Chukchi Seas to their wintering areas in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Although a significant body of knowledge on gray whale biology and behavior exists, little is known about their vocal behavior while migrating. In this study, we used a sparse hydrophone array deployed offshore of central California to investigate how gray whales behave and use sound while migrating. We detected, localized, and tracked whales for one full migration season, a first for gray whales. We verified and localized 10,644 gray whale M3 calls and grouped them into 280 tracks. Results confirm that gray whales are acoustically active while migrating and their swimming and acoustic behavior changes on daily and seasonal time scales. The seasonal timing of the calls verifies the gray whale migration timing determined using other methods such as counts conducted by visual observers. The total number of calls and the percentage of calls that were part of a track changed significantly over both seasonal and daily time scales. An average calling rate of 5.7 calls/whale/day was observed, which is significantly greater than previously reported migration calling rates. We measured a mean speed of 1.6 m/s and quantified heading, direction, and water depth where tracks were located. Mean speed and water depth remained constant between night and day, but these quantities had greater variation at night. Gray whales produce M3 calls with a root mean square source level of 156.9 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m. Quantities describing call characteristics were variable and dependent on site-specific propagation characteristics.

Exposure-induced changes in laboratory mouse ultrasonic vocalizations

Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have been categorized by researchers based on their variable spectrotemporal features, including frequency, intensity, and duration. These USVs may be important for communication, but it is unclear whether the categories that researchers have developed are relevant to mice when trying to understand their USVs, or if it is other properties such as the number, rate, peak frequency, or bandwidth of the calls that are significant. The current study aims to create a comprehensive catalog of the USVs that mice are producing in order to better understand if and how these animals are using their USVs for communication. Forty male and female adult CBA/CaJ mice were recorded for five minutes following either a one-hour period of isolation or exposure with a same- or opposite-sex mouse. Vocalizations were categorized into nine categories and quantified based on the bandwidth, duration, peak frequency, and total number of calls across those categories. There were significant differences in how mice produced their vocalizations when they were alone compared to following a social encounter. Further, this study provides critical data from female mice producing calls, an often overlooked phenomenon in mouse vocalization research.

Calls to Florida Poison Control Centers about mercury: Trends over 2003–2013

ObjectiveThe aim of this analysis was to contrast trends in exposure-report calls and informational queries (a measure of public interest) about mercury to the Florida Poison Control Centers over 2003–2013. Materials and methodsPoison-control specialists coded calls to Florida Poison Control Centers by substance of concern, caller demographics, and whether the call pertained to an exposure event or was an informational query. For the present study, call records regarding mercury were de-identified and provided along with daily total number of calls for statistical analysis. We fit Poisson models using generalized estimating equations to summarize changes across years in counts of daily calls to Florida Poison Control Centers, adjusting for month. In a second stage of analysis, we further adjusted for the total number of calls each day. We also conducted analyses stratified by age of the exposed. ResultsThere was an overall decrease over 2003–2013 in the number of total calls about mercury [Ratio per year: 0.89, 95% CI: (0.88, 0.90)], and calls about mercury exposure [Ratio per year: 0.84, 95% CI: (0.83, 0.85)], but the number of informational queries about mercury increased over this time [Ratio per year: 1.15 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.18)]. After adjusting for the number of calls of that type each day (e.g., call volume), the associations remained similar: a ratio of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.89) per year for total calls, 0.85 (0.83, 0.86) for exposure-related calls, and 1.17 (1.14, 1.21) for informational queries. ConclusionAlthough, the number of exposure-related calls decreased, informational queries increased over 2003–2013. This might suggest an increased public interest in mercury health risks despite a decrease in reported exposures over this time period.

Effects of quinestrol on the vocal behavior of mice during courtship interactions

Vocalizations are a crucial part of courtship and mating in a wide variety of species. Mating behavior, including courtship calls, is modulated by sex steroid hormones. Male mice produce courtship ultrasonic vocalizations to attract females during heterosexual encounters. However, rare is the knowledge on whether vocal behavior of mice changes under sterilant treatment which will affect gonadal hormone levels. In the present study, we treat male mice with quinestrol, which interferes with the release of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and has a significant anti-fertility effect in rodents. We compared the differences in the syllable structures (including peak intensity, peak frequency, duration, and bandwidth), total number of calls, and harmonic syllable proportions between quinestrol treated and control male mice. Male mice treated with quinestrol produced more courtship calls and more harmonic syllables than control mice, whereas the parameters of call syllables showed no significant change between the two groups. The results indicate that normal male vocal behavior during sexual interactions could be retained or even reinforced after quinestrol treatment. In addition, female mice approached male mice treated with quinestrol more than control mice, suggesting that the treated male mice were more attractive to the female mice than the controls. Thus, competitive reproductive interference is enhanced. Further, findings provided behavior mechanism in vocal context of the fertility control in mice.

Phone behaviour and its relationship to loneliness in older adults

Objectives: Loneliness and social isolation are two important health outcomes among older adults. Current assessment of these outcomes relies on self-report which is susceptible to bias. This paper reports on the relationship between loneliness and objective measures of isolation using a phone monitoring device.Method: Phone monitors were installed in the homes of 26 independent elderly individuals from the ORCATECH Life Laboratory cohort (age 86 ± 4.5, 88% female) and used to monitor the daily phone usage for an average of 174 days. Loneliness was assessed using the 20-item University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness scale. A mixed effects negative binomial regression was used to model the relationship between loneliness and social isolation, as assessed using the total number of calls, controlling for cognitive function, pain, age, gender, and weekday. A secondary analysis examined the differential effect of loneliness on incoming and outgoing calls.Results: The average UCLA Loneliness score was 35.3 ± 7.6, and the median daily number of calls was 4. Loneliness was negatively associated with telephone use (IRR = 0.99, p < 0.05). Daily phone use was also associated with gender (IRR = 2.03, p < 0.001) and cognitive status (IRR = 1.51, p < 0.001). The secondary analysis revealed that loneliness was significantly related to incoming (IRR = 0.98, p < 0.01) but not outgoing calls.Conclusions: These results demonstrate the close relationship between loneliness and social isolation, showing that phone behaviour is associated with emotional state and cognitive function. Because phone behaviour can be monitored unobtrusively, it may be possible to sense loneliness levels in older adults using objective assessments of key aspects of behaviour.

ESTONIAN EXPERIENCE ON ESTABLISHMENT OF A MODERN NATIONAL POISON INFORMATION CENTRE: ONE-YEAR PROFILE OF PHONE CALLS IN 2012

Background: Initiating a National Poisoning Information Centre (PIC) in Estonia took about 12 years of challenging work on research, training and attracting governmental support and funding. In this study we described the establishment process and the profile of phone calls in the first year which the PIC started to be available full time (24h/day 7days/week). Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective study. Relevant documents from 2000-2012 were reviewed. The documents were categorized into 5 main issues against establishment of PIC. Data of all inquiries related to toxic agent exposures regarding patient’s demographic, intention of poisoning and type of toxic substances in 2012 were collected. The data were reported with frequency and percentage. Results: During establishment process, 386 documents including governmental regulations and contracts, memorandums from meetings, professional e-mails, newspaper articles, interviews, annual reports and program sheets of other poison centres and conference presentations were collected. Funding was provided form PHARE and BTox projects (2000-2003), and government of Estonia (2004-2012). Educational programs were held to train specialists in clinical toxicology and poisoning information to direct the PIC. The active phase of establishment started in 2004; however, the services of PIC became available at the beginning of 2008. In 2012, total number of calls was 1118. 20% of calls were related to general questions about pharmaceuticals and non-toxic agents. 894 calls were related to acute poisoning cases. Most of them (87.9%) were due to accidental poisoning. The most common types of substances responsible for poisoning were pharmaceutical products (30.2%), household products (29.5%) and plant toxins (11.1%). Conclusion: To establish a stable PIC, it is crucial to have a wide range data backbone, clear support and direct funding from the government, assistance from collaborative PICs, active international/domestic collaboration and experienced committed specialists in clinical toxicology. A well-established PIC improves public health surveillance and reduces health-care costs. These effects should be investigated in future studies about the National PIC of Estonia.

Reaction times as indicators of the quality of expert work of belgrade municipal institutions for emergency medical services

Abstract Introduction. Methodological Instructions for Procedures of Healthcare Institution Reports on the Indicators of the Quality of Healthcare from 2007 also involve reaction times (RTs) I, II, I+II, III and IV, as the obligatory indicator of the quality of expert work of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Objective. Evaluation of the quality of expert work of Belgrade EMS based on RTs. Methods. A retrospective analysis of priority 1 emergency calls in September 2009 vs September 2010, and RTs from I to IV as the recommended indicators of the quality of expert work of Belgrade EMS. Results. As detected, in 2010 there has been decrease in the total number of calls for physicians, and the total number of priority 1 emergency calls. By comparing RTs, the obtained data showed that in 2010 the time elapsed from when a priority 1 call was received until it was handed to the EMS team for implementation (RT I) was on average faster by 0.1 min (p&lt;0.01), that the time elapsed from the dispatcher’s receipt of the call until the EMS team arrived to the patient (RT II) was faster on average by 0.42 min (p&lt;0.05), and that the time for the team to reach the patient after the received call through the call centre (RT I+II) was faster by 0.15 min. Also, in 2010, RT III was shortened by 1.27 min and RT IV by 1.00 min. By summing RTs I, II and III, independently resolved level I emergency calls at the scene are obtained. In 2009, this time interval was, on average 38.02 min, and in 2010 it was an average of 36.23 min. By summing RTs I, II and IV, the time elapsed from the call received through the call centre until the patient’s hospital admission is obtained. In 2009 this time was average 31.08 min, and in 2010 it was average 29.16 min. Conclusion. One of the major advances in emergency medicine is providing assistance to a request for emergency medical care where this is produced. Therefore, the indicator of RTs may measure the quality of care provided by pre-hospital services.

Urban morbidity in summer: ambulance dispatch data, periodicity and weather

Abstract Over recent years the impact of weather on human health has become more severe, especially for people living in urban areas. Even though many studies have analysed the impact of weather on human mortality, few have quantified the impact of heat on morbidity, including ambulance response calls. In this study, 13,354 calls collected in the city of Florence (Italy) during summer were analyzed by month, day of the week, hour, and time slot of the day. An objective air mass classification was used to classify days and time slots with similar weather characteristics and a multiple variable analysis was applied to evaluate the relationship between emergency calls and weather. A positive trend was observed in the morning and a negative one during the night for all emergency calls, but only for food poisoning and alcoholic diseases. Calls for cardiovascular events increased in the morning and on hot days. Calls for psychiatric disorders rose significantly with temperature during the afternoon. The total number of calls and those for alcoholic diseases rose during the hottest nights. Our results, which show a clear relationship between ambulance response calls, periodicity, and weather, could contribute to an understanding the impact of weather on morbidity.

Comprehensive Analysis of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome Reveals Limited, Call Type Specific Deficits

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a well-recognized form of inherited mental retardation, caused by a mutation in the fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene. The gene is located on the long arm of the X chromosome and encodes fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Absence of FMRP in fragile X patients as well as in Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice results, among other changes, in abnormal dendritic spine formation and altered synaptic plasticity in the neocortex and hippocampus. Clinical features of FXS include cognitive impairment, anxiety, abnormal social interaction, mental retardation, motor coordination and speech articulation deficits. Mouse pups generate ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) when isolated from their mothers. Whether those social ultrasonic vocalizations are deficient in mouse models of FXS is unknown. Here we compared isolation-induced USVs generated by pups of Fmr1-KO mice with those of their wild type (WT) littermates. Though the total number of calls was not significantly different between genotypes, a detailed analysis of 10 different categories of calls revealed that loss of Fmr1 expression in mice causes limited and call-type specific deficits in ultrasonic vocalization: the carrier frequency of flat calls was higher, the percentage of downward calls was lower and that the frequency range of complex calls was wider in Fmr1-KO mice compared to their WT littermates.