Evaluate the collective function of references cited together in a given text segment.
Classify their combined role into one of the following categories: 'method', 'background', or 'result'.

Text:The Cornell protocol [2] applied to 1127 patients with symptoms of and/or exposure to inhalational anthrax (IA) presenting to emergency departments and evaluated during the 2001 bioterrorism-related outbreak of IA.
Category: