Blackout

About: Blackout is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2088 publications have been published within this topic receiving 30433 citations.

Alcohol‐Induced Blackouts as Predictors of Other Drinking Related Harms Among Emerging Young Adults

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Alcohol-related blackouts are periods of amnesia that reflect the failure of the brain to record memories of what transpires while drinking. This paper examined the incidence, predictors, and behavioral correlates of blackouts among emerging adults and examined whether questions about blackouts could serve as better markers of risk for other alcohol related harms than questions about levels of consumption. METHODS: In 2012 to 2013, 1,463 (68%) of 2,140 respondents 1-year past high school reported having consumed alcohol. They were asked whether, in the past 6 months because of drinking, they forgot where they were or what they did. The survey also explored demographics, substance use behaviors, and other alcohol-related problems in the past 6 months. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses explored bivariate and multivariate predictors of blackouts and other alcohol-related problems. RESULTS: Twenty percent of respondents who ever drank alcohol reported a blackout in the past 6 months. Blackouts were more prevalent among females and those who, in the past 30 days, used multiple drugs, more frequently binged, were drunk, smoked, had lower body weight, and lived in college dorms. After controlling for drinking levels, having a blackout was the strongest independent predictor of most other alcohol problems examined, including in the past 6 months because of drinking, missing class or work, getting behind in work or school, doing something respondents later regretted, arguing with friends, experiencing an overdose, and total number of alcohol problems reported. It was also an independent predictor of hangovers, damaging property, getting hurt, and trouble with police. CONCLUSIONS: Because blackouts indicate drinking at levels that result in significant cognitive and behavioral impairment, questions about blackouts could serve as important, simple screeners for the risk of experiencing other alcohol related harms. Additional work on this subject is warranted.Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Language: en

Validating OPA with WECC Data

Abstract: We validate the OPA cascading blackout simulation on a 1553 bus WECC network model by establishing OPA parameters from WECC data and comparing the blackout statistics obtained with OPA to historical WECC data.

Experiential aspects of alcohol-induced blackouts among college students.

Abstract: Our current understanding of alcohol-induced memory blackouts is derived largely from research with middle-aged, hospitalized, male alcoholics In the present study, 50 undergraduate students (34 female and 16 male) with a history of at least one blackout were interviewed to gain insight into their experiences Fragmentary blackouts, in which memory for events is fragmented, were far more common than blackouts of the en bloc type, in which a period of time is simply missing from memory Most students recalled bits and pieces of events without cueing from others, yet still relied on friends, most also intoxicated themselves during the blackout period, to tell them what transpired Thinking about the fragments triggered further recall in the majority of cases Half of all subjects, more females than males, reported having been frightened by their last blackout experience Being frightened typically led to more careful drinking for several weeks or longer Characteristics of blackouts among college students in the present study are compared to the standard model of blackouts based on reports from alcoholics

Performance of "WAMS East" in providing dynamic information for the North East blackout of August 14, 2003

Abstract: The blackout that impacted the U.S. and Canada on August 14, 2003, was notable for its extent, complexity, and impact. It triggered a massive review of operating records to determine what happened, why it happened, and how to avoid it in future operations. Much of this work was done at NERC level, through the U.S.-Canada power system outage task force. Additional background information concerning the event was gathered together by a group of utilities that, collectively, have been developing a wide area measurement system (WAMS) for the eastern interconnection. Like its counterpart in the western interconnection, "WAMS East" has a primary backbone of synchronized phasor measurements that are continuously recorded at central locations. Operational data have been critical for understanding and responding to the August 14 blackout. Records collected on WAMS East demonstrate the contributions that well synchronized data offer in such efforts, and the value of strategically located continuous recording systems to facilitate their integration. This work examines overall performance of the WAMS East backbone, with a brief assessment of the technology involved. Later papers will provide a utility view of the NERC data review and its institutional implications.