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Background: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), yet national surveillance of physical activity (PA) levels is not well defined. Though Ghana has a national health policy that emphasizes health promotion and prevention of lifestyle diseases, and an NCD policy with PA recommendations in 2012, it does not have an integrated plan of action to address widespread physical inactivity. Objective: This review aims to identify the nature and extent of research in NCDs and PA in Ghana to inform the creation of an integrated action plan to address physical inactivity. The review focuses on four research questions: (1) what is the prevalence and monitoring of NCDs in Ghana from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) reports, (2) what are the key risk factors of NCDs in Ghana, (3) what are the identified indicators and benchmarks that enhance or impede PA participation in Ghana, and (4) what are the active interventions and policy directives for NCDs and PA participation in Ghana. Methods: Ghana‐specific articles, reports, and policies related to NCDs and PA were collected traversing 2018–2020. The scoping review included: (1) reviewing articles and documents related to risk factors of NCDs in Ghana, (2) reviewing articles and documents from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) monitoring and surveillance template for Ghana; (3) reviewing articles and documents on the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance Ghana Report Card on Physical Activity; (4) the Demographic and Health Survey website and (5) specific searches for World Health Organization reports. Results: A total of 1763 records were identified through keyword search. Based on eligibility criteria, 4 were relevant to question 1, 23 to question 2, 16 to question 3, and 11 to question 4. For question 1, international benchmark surveys revealed that physical inactivity accounts for 20% of NCD related deaths in Ghana. For question 2, 8 records (34.8%) focused on hypertension, 5 (21.74%) body composition and obesity, 4 (17.4%) cardiovascular diseases, 3 (13.0%) on diabetes, 1 (4.4%) on stroke, and 2 (8.7%) on other risk factors. For question 3, 6 records (37%) focused on overall PA, 3 (19%) on the built environment, 2 (12%) active transportation, 2 (12%) on physical inactivity or sedentary behaviors, 2 (12%) on influence of family and peers, and 1 (6%) on active play. For question 4, though multiple national policies exist, including a minimum weekly level of compulsory physical education per week in the school curriculum, data monitoring and surveillance on PA participation are scarce. Conclusion: Based on the scoping review of articles traversing 2018–2020, this review revealed minimal research on these topics. Data on PA participation is non‐existent due to lack of conscious monitoring mechanisms, integrated plan of action, intervention strategies and policy directives. A national research agenda is imperative to better understand the relationship and clear connection between physical inactivity as a risk factor of NCDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce an iterative spectral disentangling technique combined with Doppler imaging in order to recover surface temperature maps for both components of double-lined active binary systems. Our method provides an opportunity to separate spectra of the active components while minimizing the unwanted disturbances on the given line profile from the other component. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated on real data of the double-lined RS CVn-type binary V824 Ara. The resulting Doppler images reveal cool spots on the polar regions as well as low-latitude features on both of the stars. Moreover, both components have hot spots, that are facing each other. This may indicate interconnection between the stellar magnetic fields. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term photometric measurements in a sample of ultrashort-period ( P ≈ 0.5 days or less) single and binary stars of different interior structures are analysed. A loose correlation exists between the rotational rate and cycle lengths of active stars, regardless of their evolutionary state and the corresponding physical parameters. The shortest cycles are expected for the fastest rotators of the order of 1-2 years, which is reported in this paper. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we briefly summarize the design concepts of the Fly's Eye Camera System, a proposed high resolution allsky monitoring device which intends to perform high cadence time domain astronomy in multiple optical passbands while still accomplish a high étendue. Fundings have already been accepted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in order to design and build a Fly's Eye device unit. Beyond the technical details and the actual scientific goals, this paper also discusses the possibilities and yields of a network operation involving ∼10 sites distributed geographically in a nearly homogeneous manner. Currently, we expect to finalize the mount assembly - that performs the sidereal tracking during the exposures - until the end of 2012 and to have a working prototype with a reduced number of individual cameras sometimes in the spring or summer of 2013. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates that fine-grained (2–3 μm), transparent Nd:YAG can be achieved at SiO2 doping levels as low as 0.02 wt% by the sinter plus hot isostatic pressing (HIP) approach. Fine grain size is assured by sintering to 98% density, in order to limit grain growth, followed by HIP. Unlike dry-pressed samples, tape-cast samples were free of large, agglomerate-related pores after sintering, and thus high transparency (i.e., >80% transmission at 1064 nm) could be achieved by HIP at <1750°C along with lower silica levels, thereby avoiding conditions shown to cause exaggerated grain growth. Grain growth was substantially limited at lower SiO2 levels because silica is soluble in the YAG lattice up to ∼0.02–0.1 wt% at 1750°C, thus allowing sintering and grain growth to occur by solid-state diffusional processes. In contrast, liquid phase enhanced densification and grain growth occur at ∼0.08–0.14 wt% SiO2, especially at higher temperatures, because the SiO2 solubility limit is exceeded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the analysis of the multicolour CCD observations in the 2010 season of the Blazhko RRc star TV Boo. TV Boo shows a complex Blazhko modulation dominated by two independent modulations with periods Pfm1 = 9.74 d and Pfm2 = 21.43 d. Both modulation components appear in the frequency spectra as multiplet structures around the harmonics of the pulsation. The positive value of the asymmetry parameter (Q = +0.51) of the primary modulation suggests that it is similar in its character to the Blazhko-effect of most of the modulated RRab stars. Interestingly, the secondary, lower-amplitude modulation exhibits a negative asymmetry parameter (Q = −0.22), which is an unusually low value when compared to the Blazhko-modulated RRab stars. Apart from the two modulation frequencies, the spectra also show an additional frequency f' and its linear combinations with the pulsation and the primary modulation f1 + f' and f1 − f' − fm1. We conclude that the additional frequency most probably belongs to a non-radial mode (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From our sample of spotted late-type stars showing surface differential rotation, we find that the relationship between the rotation period and the surface shear coefficient α = ΔΩ/Ωeq is significantly different for single stars compared to members in close binaries. Single stars follow a general trend that α increases with the rotation period. However, differential rotation of stars in close binary systems shows much weaker dependence on the rotation, if any, suggesting that in such systems, tidal forces operate as a controlling mechanism of differential rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]