The surge in guitar sales, for example, may represent increased interest in folk music, as countercultural tastes are passed on to a second generation.

The surge in retail complexes of moderate dimensions represents something of a U-turn for the shopping center industry.

The surge represented a revival for wheat prices, which fell to four-and-a-half-year lows early this year in response to slack export demand and a bumper world crop.

He said the current surge in quality architecture could represent perhaps yet another significant phase in the city's development history.

Yet the Hispanic-led surge does represent a marked improvement over more recent times.

The surge in wheeling and dealing hardly represents a triumph of free enterprise.

But the dramatic surge represents a significant escalation in the conflict, one that inevitably nudges the country closer to the brink of full-scale civil war.

The surge in donations represents a turnaround; as of Christmas, the fund had received 24 percent less than it had in last year's running total.

Sometimes, he said, a surge or dip in complaints does not represent a sea change in police conduct as much as it reflects the changing level of public confidence in the board.

The big question is whether this new surge in self-employment, evident in Labor Department data since 1987, represents an improvement for those in their own businesses.