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It is often assumed that animals' temporal activity patterns are highly conserved throughout evolution. While most geckos are nocturnal, the species in the Cnemaspis genus are mostly diurnal (only a few are nocturnal). This raises a question about the evolution of a diel niche in the Cnemaspis genus. Cnemaspis geckos are distributed across Southeast Asia and are often sympatric with Cyrtodactylus, another widespread gecko genus in the same area. Since both genera are mainly rocky habitat specialists, we hypothesize that Cyrtodactylus may influence the temporal activity pattern of Cnemaspis when they are sympatric through competition. By analyzing habitat data, diel activity, and the existence of sympatric Cyrtodactylus species across the phylogeny of the Cnemaspis genus, we found (1) strong phylogenetic signals in the habitat use trait but not in temporal activity, suggesting that the diel niche of this genus is more labile compared with habitat niche, and (2) a significant association with the temporal activity pattern of Cnemaspis and the sympatry between the two genera, with the former tending to be diurnal when they are sympatric. Originated from a diurnal common ancestor, the release from competition with Cyrtodactylus species might open an opportunity for some Cnemaspis species to shift to nocturnal niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrate radical (NO3) is the most important nocturnal oxidant in urban atmosphere. The city of Calicut (Kozhikode) is a medium sized urban location in India. One of the bus terminals at Palayam part of the city [11.2495° N, 75.7842° E] is adjacent to the vegetable sorting facilities cum market, both of which have intense activities by buses and trucks from about 3 AM till about 8 PM on all working days. We report preliminary measurements observing NO3 on five nights during a weeklong measurement campaign in the autumn of 2018. Measurements were made between 10 PM and 6 AM, and focus was when diesel vehicles were found idling along about half a km stretch during 3-6 AM while the loading/unloading of vegetables at sorting facility happens. Incoherent Broadband Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopic technique in open-path configuration (OP-IBBCEAS) was employed for measurements. The instrument was installed 8.5 m above the ground level over the east wing of Palayam bus terminal building adjacent to the vegetable market. The 285 cm long optical resonator was arranged on a custom-made aluminium profile platform 1 m high. The stability of the instrument for the entire period of measurement was excellent, and high NO3 mixing ratios with levels exceeding several hundred pptv were observed during early morning hours when heavy vehicles were idling. The highest NO3 mixing ratio observed was (497 ± 140) pptv during one of the nights. The fit uncertainty, which was considered as the uncertainty in retrieved concentration, was found to increase with increased aerosol loading. The uncertainty for a spectral averaging interval of 10 min was recorded as ~20 pptv and ~100 pptv during the lowest and the highest aerosol loading events respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nocturnal reactive nitrogen compounds play an important role in regional air pollution. Here we present the measurements of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) associated with nitryl chloride (ClNO2) and particulate nitrate (pNO3-) at a suburban site of Beijing in the summer of 2016. High levels of N2O5 and ClNO2 were observed in the outflow of the urban Beijing air masses, with 1 min average maxima of 937 and 2900 pptv, respectively. The N2O5 uptake coefficients, γ, and ClNO2 yield, f, were experimentally determined from the observed parameters. The N2O5 uptake coefficient ranged from 0.012 to 0.055, with an average of 0.034 ± 0.018, which is in the upper range of previous field studies reported in North America and Europe but is a moderate value in the North China Plain (NCP), which reflects efficient N2O5 heterogeneous processes in Beijing. The ClNO2 yield exhibited high variability, with a range of 0.50 to unity and an average of 0.73 ± 0.25. The concentration of the nitrate radical (NO3) was calculated assuming that the thermal equilibrium between NO3 and N2O5 was maintained. In NOx-rich air masses, the oxidation of nocturnal biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) was dominated by NO3 rather than O3. The production rate of organic nitrate (ON) via NO3 + BVOCs was significant, with an average of 0.10 ± 0.07 ppbv h-1. We highlight the importance of NO3 oxidation of VOCs in the formation of ON and subsequent secondary organic aerosols in summer in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban climate, especially the near-surface air temperature (T), is influenced to large amounts by urban surface properties on the local-scale. Landscape classification schemes, like the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) concept, classify neighbourhoods on this scale based on their surface properties, neglecting sub-scale heterogeneity in the urban structure and its potential effects on T. To quantify sub-scale T variability, a measurement campaign with eleven stationary T sensors was conducted within one LCZ (class 2B, compact midrise with scattered trees) in Berlin, Germany, during 22 days in summer 2016. Correlation analyses were performed between observed spatial T differences and micro-scale morphometric parameters around the measurement sites, such as sky view factor and building surface fraction. The results show mean night-time T differences of up to 1 K between the different sites. On a clear, calm and dry day, the daytime difference reached 3 K. At night-time, the variability can be best explained by the building surface fraction within a radius of 50 m. Further, a nocturnal cooling influence of a neighbouring green space could be observed. The observed micro-scale T variability was smaller than T differences to other LCZ classes, highlighting the applicability of the LCZ concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the pattern of psychosexual disorder in male patient psychosexual disorders (PSDs) in male patients Methods Male patients of 18 years and above who attended dermatology OPD for some psychosexual disorder were evaluated for the study. A complete demographic information including age, educational status, occupation, marital status was taken. Results Total 364 patients with psychosexual problems were included. The mean age of patients was 35.47±11.83 years. The highest number of patients was of 26 to 40 years age group (46.2%). Premature ejaculation (PME) was the commonest PSD (35.2%), followed by erectile dysfunction (ED), (23.65%). Many patients had more than one type of PSDs, of them PME and ED combination the most prevalent (14.3%). Mental stress was very much related (64.8%) to PSDs and usually PSD pts consulted doctors for their problems(68.7%).In married patients, PME (64.41%) and ED (45.76%) whereas in unmarried this number was 29.69% and 25%, respectively. Dhat syndrome (DS) and nocturnal emission (NE) was mainly problem of the unmarried patients. Religion, background, literacy and economic status is not important factors for different types of PSDs .There is a trend of PSDs in different age group. Conclusion The lack of education regarding sexual health may have been responsible for seeking help when the sexual situation arose after marriage. A more elaborative sexual education which would lead to timely medical consultation with qualified practitioner to deal the problem effectively is the need of the hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study evaluated the effect of first nocturnal ejaculation timing on risk and sexual behaviors of Korean male adolescents. Methods: We analyzed data from the 10th edition of the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based survey that was conducted with male high school adolescents in grades 10-12. The survey included 17,907 adolescents, and 10,326 responded their experience of first nocturnal ejaculation. Of these, 595 had their first nocturnal ejaculation in =grade 4 ("early puberty") and 9,731 had their first nocturnal ejaculation in =grade 5 ("normal puberty"). We analyzed differences between these 2 groups in risk and sexual behaviors. Results: Early first nocturnal ejaculation showed a positive association with sexual intercourse (odds ratio [OR], 3.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.56-4.17), sexual debut at elementary school age (OR, 7.45; 95% CI, 5.00-11.10), and having had a sexually transmitted disease (OR, 6.60; 95% CI, 3.94-11.08). After a multiple logistic regression to adjust for socio-demographic variables, early first nocturnal ejaculation was still positively associated with sexual intercourse (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 2.03-3.69), sexual debut at elementary school age (OR, 5.96; 95% CI, 3.47-10.22), and having had a sexually transmitted disease (OR, 5.17; 95% CI, 2.52-10.20). Early first nocturnal ejaculation was positively associated with alcohol consumption, smoking, and substance use. However, this was not statistically significant after adjusting for several socio-demographic variables. Conclusion: There is a positive association between early nocturnal ejaculation and sexual behaviors in male adolescents. Proactive education about sexual behaviors is required for adolescents who reach sexual maturity early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Following a sudden death at a residential care unit, the Dutch Health and Care Inspectorate advised intensification of the use of video monitoring ( VM) at the unit. We assessed whether VM resulted in increased identification of seizures that required clinical intervention. Methods The unit provides care for 340 individuals with refractory epilepsy and severe learning disabilities. Acoustic detection systems ( ADSs) cover all individuals; 37 people also have a bed motion sensor ( BMS) and 46 people with possible nocturnal seizures are now monitored by VM. During a 6-month period, in all cases of a suspected seizure we asked the caregivers to specify which device alerted them and to indicate whether this led to an intervention. Staff costs of VM were estimated using payroll information. Results We identified 1,208 seizures in 37 individuals: 4 had no nocturnal seizures and 393 (33%) seizures were seen only on video. In 169 (14%) of 1,208 seizures an intervention was made and this included 39 (10%) of 393 seizures seen only on video. When compared to seizures observed with an ADS or BMS, seizures seen only on video were more often tonic seizures (71% vs. 22%, p < 0.001) and occurred mostly in the beginning or at the end of the night (40% vs. 26%, p < 0.001). The extra staff costs of monitoring was 7,035 euro per seizure seen only on video and leading to an intervention. Significance VM facilitates nocturnal surveillance, but the costs are high. This underscores the need for development of reliable seizure detection devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here are proposed two automatic detectors of Barau's petrel ( Pterodroma baraui ) and tropical shearwater ( Puffinus bailloni ) vocalisations in noisy audio recordings (1) trained with a low number of positive training instances, and (2) whose performances would be the highest possible. To do so, acoustic recordings were performed in one Barau's petrel colony between February and May 2014 (85 h) and in two tropical shearwater colonies in March and April (21 h). Manual and automatic methods of segmentation were combined. Manual segmentation allowed (1) to miss a very few number of positive segments and (2) to avoid introducing false positive instances. Automatic segmentation provided quickly a diversified set of negative instances. Manual labelling must be regarded as an investment, for current and future works. A random forest classifier and classical methods of acoustic signal characterisation (cepstral coefficients, spectral moments, etc.) were tested. Best models were able to discriminate each target species calls from other sounds of its colony with F1 scores of 88% (Barau's petrel, 1015 samples) and 85% (tropical shearwater, 1217 samples). The acoustic monitoring of nocturnal burrow-nesting seabirds based on (1) data collected by autonomous recording units in harsh, windy and wet environments and (2) automatic analysis tools is feasible. The size of our database was limited. Consequently further works will be necessary to study robustness of models on long time-series data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planetary boundary layer (PBL) is an atmospheric region near the Earth's surface. It is signifiant for weather forecasting and for the study of air quality and climate. In this study, the top of nocturnal residual layers--which are what remain of the daytime mixing layer--are estimated by an elastic backscatter Lidar in Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.4°E), a city in Central China. The ideal profile fitting method is widely applied to determine the nocturnal residual layer height (RLH) from Lidar data. However, the method is seriously affected by an optical thick layer. Thus, we propose an improved iterative fitting method to eliminate the optical thick layer effect on RLH detection using Lidar. Two typical case studies observed by elastic Lidar are presented to demonstrate the theory and advantage of the proposed method. Results of case analysis indicate that the improved method is more practical and precise than profile-fitting, gradient, and wavelet covariance transform method in terms of nocturnal RLH evaluation under low cloud conditions. Long-term observations of RLH performed with ideal profile fitting and improved methods were carried out in Wuhan from 28 May 2011 to 17 June 2016. Comparisons of Lidar-derived RLHs with the two types of methods verify that the improved solution is practical. Statistical analysis of a six-year Lidar signal was conducted to reveal themonthly average values of nocturnal RLH in Wuhan. A clear RLHmonthly cycle with amaximum mean height of about 1.8 km above ground level was observed in August, and a minimum height of about 0.7 km was observed in January. The variation in monthly mean RLH displays an obvious quarterly dependence, which coincides with the annual variation in local surface temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sexuality is an important part of personality of adolescents. The age of sexual debut is falling globally. The subject of adolescent sexuality is taboo in most societies. Since 2007 sexual health education program has been banned in six states including Maharashtra and Karnataka. This may lead to misconceptions about sexual heath knowledge and practices among young people. Objective: The aim was to assess the knowledge about sexual health among male students of junior colleges of an urban area and to evaluate the change in their knowledge after imparting sexual health education. Settings and Design: Pre-post-intervention study. Materials and Methods: All 245 male students of 11th standard of all three educational streams of two junior colleges were included in the study. The data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 18. Results: Science students had "adequate" knowledge about sexual health when compared to arts and commerce students (P = 0.004). Students whose parents were unskilled and semiskilled by occupation had "inadequate" knowledge about sexual health when compared with students whose parents were skilled by occupation (P < 0.05). Education of parents had positive effect on the knowledge about sexual health of students (P = 0.062). In posttest, the knowledge about sexual health of students was found to have increased significantly when compared to pretest. The mean posttest score was 12.61 (standard deviation [SD] 3.12), which was significantly higher than the mean pretest score of 6.34 (SD 3.23) (P < 0.001). Students from nuclear families had "adequate" knowledge about sexual health when compared to students from joint families (P = 0.158) Conclusion: Imparting knowledge about sexual health in adolescent age will be beneficial to the students in avoiding risky sexual behavior. Such educational programs must be given due importance to achieve desirable behavior change among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective. In Poland, the assessment of nocturnal GH secretion has gained the status of screening test; however, this procedure is not included in international recommendations. The aim of the study was to assess the accuracy and predictive value of the test of nocturnal GH secretion as a screening procedure in diagnosing GHD, and to check the adequacy of the cut-off value for GH peak in this test on the level of 10 ng/ml. Materials and methods. The analysis comprised the data of 1,000 children with short stature. In all the patients, GH secretion was assessed in a screening test (after falling asleep) and in 2 stimulating tests (reference tests), with simultaneous assessment of IGF-I secretion before stimulating tests.The indices of screening test accuracy, likelihood ratios and predictive values were assessed. The cut-off level of GH peak after falling asleep, ensuring its 95% sensitivity, was calculated in ROC curve analysis. Results. Sensitivity of the screening test was 70.4%, while the specificity - 61.2%, positive likelihood ratio - 1.842, negative likelihood ratio - 0.482, positive predictive value - 0.462, negative predictive value - 0.812. The sensitivity of the test of GH secretion after falling asleep is too low with respect to the requirements for screening test. The ROC curve analysis showed 95% sensitivity for the screening test on the level of 19.0 ng/ml; however, with a very low specificity - below 25%, thus making this test completely useless as a screening procedure. Conclusions. The obtained results strongly contradict the opinion that the assessment of GH secretion after falling asleep should be a screening test in diagnosing GHD in children with short stature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of nitrogen oxide pollution during high-latitude winter is controlled by reactions of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) and is highly affected by the competition between heterogeneous atmospheric reactions and deposition to the snowpack. MISTRA, a 1-D photochemical model, simulated an urban pollution plume from Fairbanks, Alaska to investigate this competition of N2O5 reactions and explore sensitivity to model parameters. It was found that dry deposition of N2O5 made up a significant fraction of N2O5 loss near the snowpack, but reactions on aerosol particles dominated loss of N2O5 over the integrated atmospheric column. Sensitivity experiments found the fate of NOx emissions were most sensitive to NO emission flux, photolysis rates, and ambient temperature. The results indicate a strong sensitivity to urban area density, season and clouds, and temperature, implying a strong sensitivity of the results to urban planning and climate change. Results suggest that secondary formation of particulate (PM2.5) nitrate in the Fairbanks downtown area does not contribute significant mass to the total PM2.5 concentration, but appreciable amounts are formed downwind of downtown due to nocturnal NOx oxidation and subsequent reaction with ammonia on aerosol particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the quality of fresh semen samples collected by nocturnal emission (NE), penile vibratory stimulation (PVS), or electroejaculation (EEJ) from idiopathic anejaculation patients with those collected by masturbation from healthy control subjects. Design: Retrospective clinical study. Setting: University medical center. Patient(s): Ninety-one men with idiopathic anejaculation. Intervention(s): NE, PVS, EEJ, computer-assisted semen analysis system. Main Outcome Measure(s): Sperm volume, concentration, motility, and morphology. Result(s): The mean percentage of motile sperm in the NE group was 30.6% ± 3.5% (range 11.2%–50.9%), which is 1.5- and 1.9-fold higher than that of the PVS (20.5% ± 1.3%, range 6.9%–40.2%) and EEJ (16.1% ± 0.9%, range 3.7%–27.3%) groups, respectively. The percentage of sperm that have normal morphology in the NE group was 61.4% ± 4.8%, which is significantly higher than that in the PVS (38.4% ± 2.8%) and EEJ groups (29.5% ± 1.7%), respectively. However, compared with the healthy control group, the sperm motility and normal morphology in the NE, PVS, and EEJ groups were significantly lower. The sperm concentration in the NE group (149.4 ± 16.3 ×106 mL−1) was similar to that of the PVS group (143.8 ± 13.1 × 106 mL−1) but was higher than in the EEJ group (96.3 ± 8.6 × 106 mL−1) and lower than in the control group (225.0 ± 15.0 × 106 mL−1). Furthermore, the semen volume in the NE group (2.6 ± 0.2 mL) was lower than that of the control group (3.0 ± 0.1 mL). Conclusion(s): This study is the first to report on the quality of fresh semen obtained by NE in patients with idiopathic anejaculation. Sperm motility and normal morphology were higher in patients who collected sperm by NE than in those who collected sperm by PVS and EEJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Due to the unique characteristics, such as intensive radiation, high altitude and low humidity, plateau climate importantly affects the airborne organic contaminants'' behavior in the environment. In this study, USEPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benzo[e]pyrene were detected in the air samples collected at two suburban sites in Lhasa city. The total concentrations of USEPA priority fifteen PAHs (except naphthalene) in the particulate phase ranged from 4.4 to 60ng/m3, while in the gas phase from 79 to 350ng/m3. Integrated results of the multiple diagnostic ratios indicated that the major potential sources of PAHs in Lhasa city were local incomplete combustion of wood and cow dung cake. Particulate and gaseous PAH levels in this study displayed two clear and different diurnal and nocturnal concentration patterns, however, no distinct diurnal and nocturnal variation was observed for the total suspended particles (TSP) concentrations. No significant correlation was found between TSP concentrations and particle-bound PAHs, meaning physicochemical processes play an important role in diurnal and nocturnal variations of PAHs in the atmosphere except emission sources in this study. Based on the diurnal and nocturnal changes of the percentage of particulate phase PAHs in total PAHs, it suggested that gas–particle partitioning driven by temperature makes a great contribution to the variations of PAHs concentrations. The most susceptible to transformation between gas and particle phase chemicals are PHE, ANT, FLA, PYR, BaA and CHR. In addition, our observation suggested that atmospheric reaction and photolytic degradation also exert an important impact on the variations of PAHs in both phases in the atmosphere of Lhasa city. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A time series of nocturnal emissions was presented in The American Journal of Psychology in 1904. The anonymous author of this remarkable article provided the time series to support his contention that his nocturnal emissions exhibited a seasonal pattern of variation. Specifically, he claimed to have heightened emissions during spring and summer, with dampened emissions later. The basis for this claim was a time series graph of average emissions by month across an 8-year period. The purpose of this article is to reanalyze these data with statistical procedures developed in the past century to validate the original conclusion drawn by the author. After analyses of the data with several state-of-the-art methods, no statistical support was found for a seasonal pattern of nocturnal emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A solution to the problem of controlling the minimum temperature in greenhouses using controllers developed from nonlinear models of the system is discussed and applied on a real greenhouse. More precisely, the controllers designed are Takagi–Sugeno type controllers, and the proposed design method is an iterative method based on solving a set of Linear Matrix Inequalities, which ensures stability and performance in closed-loop. The tests in a real greenhouse show that it is possible to design controllers for control of nocturnal temperature that give good performance, and guarantee stability in a wide range of working conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nocturnal ozone maxima have been reported by several authors in different environments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of horizontal transport on the occurrence of nocturnal ozone maxima. Frequency, concentration and time of the nocturnal ozone maxima were investigated during three consecutive years (2005–2007) in two urban and two rural sites of Northern Portugal using hourly ozone concentrations. These concentrations were further related with temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and speed. Results showed that urban sites had frequencies of nocturnal ozone maxima between 40% and 50% and rural sites of 15%. Rural sites were those with higher concentrations being in average 117 ± 35 μg m−3, with minimum and maximum concentrations of, respectively, 51 μg m−3 and 283 μg m−3; information and alert thresholds were exceeded (). At urban sites, the nocturnal ozone maxima occurred most at 5 h and at rural sites at 23 h/24 h. Among the meteorological parameters analysed, wind direction was the only one that had influence on the occurrence of nocturnal O3 maxima. When nocturnal O3 maxima occurred it was possible to observe at the urban sites, prevailing winds from ESE, related with land–sea breezes, meaning that land–sea breeze influenced the occurrence of nocturnal O3 maxima trough the transport of O3 from places where its concentrations were higher. At rural sites similar behaviour has been observed, nevertheless with different wind directions according to meteorological characteristics of the sites; frequent wind directions were from WNW for LO and from the North quadrant for SM. Additionally, between 70% and 99% of the nocturnal O3 maxima for urban and rural sites occurred when there was a shift in the wind direction. Results allowed concluding that horizontal transport might have high importance on the occurrence of those maxima. Nevertheless, other factors, such as vertical transport, may also be important, as have been suggested by other authors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Turbulence statistics such as flux-variance relationship are critical information in measuring and modeling ecosystem exchanges of carbon, water, energy, and momentum at the biosphere-atmosphere interface. Using a recently proposed mathematical technique, the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT), this study highlights its possibility to quantify impacts of non-turbulent flows on turbulence statistics in the stable surface layer. The HHT is suitable for the analysis of non-stationary and intermittent data and thus very useful for better understanding the interplay of the surface layer similarity with complex nocturnal environment. Our analysis showed that the HHT can successfully sift non-turbulent components and be used as a tool to estimate the relationships between turbulence statistics and atmospheric stability in complex environments such as nocturnal stable boundary layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the emperor Julian's use of pederastic and same-sex sexual tropes to characterize the importance of his friendship with Saturninius Secundus Salutius. The "Self-Consolation" or Oration 4 is read in light of its intertextualities with Theocritus, Plato, and various ancient discussions of dreams with nocturnal emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article the treatment of female erotic dreams leading to nocturnal emissions in ancient Greek medical literature by authors such as Hippocrates, Galen, and Aristotle. Among other topics addressed are an ancient Greek association of erotic dreams with evil spirits, the nature of the sources referenced, and related Classical Greek philology.

The interaction between radiation and turbulence in the stable boundary layer over land is explored using an idealized model, with a focus on the surface layer after the evening transition. It is shown that finer vertical resolution is required in transitional boundary layers than in developed ones. In very light winds radiative cooling determines the temperature profile, even if similarity functions without a critical Richardson number are used; standard surface similarity theory applied over thick layers then yields poor forecasts of near-surface air temperatures. These points are illustrated with field data. Simulations of the developing nocturnal boundary layer are used to explore the wider role of radiation. Comparatively, radiation is less significant within the developed stable boundary layer than during the transition; although, as previous studies have found, it remains important towards the top of the stable layer and in the residual layer. Near the ground, reducing the surface emissivity below one is found to yield modest relative radiative warming rather than intense cooling, which reduces the potential importance of radiation in the developed surface layer. The profile of the radiative heating rate may be strongly dependent on other processes, leading to quite varied behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of the radiatively dominated stable boundary layer is analysed using idealized calculations at high vertical and spectral resolution. The temperature profile of a nocturnal radiative boundary layer, developing after the evening transition, is found to be well described in terms of radiative cooling to the surface, although radiative exchanges within the atmosphere become increasingly important with time. The treatment of non-black surfaces is discussed in some detail and it is shown that the effect of reducing the surface emissivity is to decrease rather than to increase the radiative cooling rate in the surface layer. It is also argued that an accurate assessment of the impact of non-black surfaces requires careful attention to the spectral and directional characteristics of the surface emissivity. A polar nocturnal boundary layer, developing above snow-covered ground, is simulated and found to reach a slowly evolving state characterized by a strong radiative divergence near the surface that is comparable to observed values. Radiative boundary layers are characterized by large temperature gradients near the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both the findings and the limitations of numeric milestone research in sexology have a bearing on the pedagogical status of pleasure, as welt as the cultural underpinnings of the notion of a psychosexual milestone. An overview is offered of international data pertaining to the chronology of three "milestones" in sexual autobiography: first orgasm (urgasmarche), first ejaculation (oigarche), and first wet dream (nocturnal emission). Methodological problems associated with the measurement of these variables are discussed. These problems are then situated in a culturalist perspective. It is concluded that orgasms are cultural artifacts in terms of their chronological occurrence as well as perceived salience, necessity, and "age appropriateness." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A steady-state low-level jet observed in the Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment in Spain-1998 (SABLES-98) campaign is simulated using a large-eddy simulation model. The radiation is taken into account since its contribution to the budget of the tendency of temperature is as important as the contribution of the turbulence in the surface layer. The resulting regime is a two-layer flow separated by a change of the temperature gradient at the level of maximum speed. The upper part has turbulence originated by shear production extending up to 3 times the height of wind maximum and of the same order of magnitude as in the layer below. The jet nose is seen by the model as a decoupling layer, and the use of passive scalars allows for the inspection of the amount of transport across it, which is very small. The lower layer is very sensitive to the surface boundary conditions, but the principal patterns in the upper layer do not change significantly. The runs are compared to the observations through mean profiles, time series, and probability density functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We try to evaluate the effect of sildenafil on nocturnal penile erections of potent men. We recruited 22 potent men (eight medical students and 14 urology residents) 23-29 years old into the study. A disorder-free medical and sexual history and normal erectile functions were the only inclusion criteria. All subjects completed three sessions of consecutive nights using the RigiScan Plus device. After a first night of adaptation, night 2 recordings were their baseline values whereas they received sildenafil 100 mg on night 3. We observed statistically significant improvement with regard to those NPT parameters at the nights with sildenafil: number of erectile episodes; duration of tip rigidity > 60%, RAU tip, RAU base and TAU tip (P < 0.005). Although the duration of erectile episodes (min) and TAU base were greater during the sildenafil night, these did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, our study showed that sildenafil can improve nocturnal erectile quality not only in patients with erectile dysfunction as previously published but also in potent males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses nocturnal emission and the mastubatory frequency relationships taking into 19-century account. As the amount of material suitable for historical research on human sexuality increases, the importance of the researcher P.C. Van Buskirk record becomes particularly apparent. The care and accuracy of his account make it a useful element in the sample from which historical syntheses on masturbation and nocturnal emission might one day be constructed. The limited documentation of sexual behavior 100 years ago meant additionally that every case assumes importance it would not have in the 20th century when larger samplings can be made. The Van Buskirk data are also of value in that they provide information on nocturnal emission, one of the phenomena least often studied by sex researchers. The subject's frequency of masturbation is lower than modern rates, but this may be due largely to fear of what he thought would be the consequences. His rates of nocturnal emission are higher than those in the researcher A.C. Kinsey et al. sample. His frequencies of rnasturbation and other sources of orgasm when related to his incidence of nocturnal emission replicate the findings of Kinsey et al. and researcher G. Winokur et al. Both found that there is no close connection between the two. The rapid rise of the subject's rate of nocturnal emission in 1858 cannot be satisfactorily explained by the available data.

An unmarried 35 years old male, who took 25mg sildenafil daily for 8 days followed by 12.5 mg daily for 4 days, with consultation with a local chemist for nocturnal emission developed priapism. He presented to an urologist after 72 hours where a corporal wash and distal shunt was tried but it did not give any relief to the patient. He had no other identified contributing factors for priapism. A proximal caverno-spongiosal shunting (Quackels cavernoso-spongiosal shunts) was done which subsequently relieved his symptoms. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of priapism resulting from supposedly safe doses of sildenafil in a healthy individual. Distal shunts are associated with high failure rates which may warrant a more proximal shunt. Even when seen after a considerable time a shunt may be useful. After the delayed surgery, relief of pain without complete detumesence suggests a role for watch-full waiting. This case also highlights the existence of unfortunate myths surrounding the omnipotence of sildenafil in all sorts of sex related problems. It points toward an urgent need for steps to prevent unauthorized prescription and misuse of this drug.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the contributions of the "American Journal of Psychology" to the development of scientific psychology, significant contributions in areas of perceptual-motor skill and thought processes, and nocturnal emissions.

The article reports that nocturnal overdistension of the bladder can cause bladder deterioration in children with neurogenic bladder. However, the condition is amenable to treatment by nighttime bladder emptying. It is reported that the strategy of nocturnal bladder emptying led to improvement or resolution in bladder deterioration in 14 of 18 children studies, as well as improvement or complete resolution of symptoms in a majority of patients with hydronephrosis, recurrent urinary tract infection, and incontinence.

A letter to the editor is presented which reports the case of a 27-year-old patient who have numerous emissions, quite unattended by any sexual sensations, and occur two or three times a week and occasionally more often.