Toyota Motor Corporation (Germany)

We investigated changes in eating behavior associated with the administration of tirzepatide and evaluated any changes in diet-related QOL due to tirzepatide. The study included 60 outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had been on tirzepatide for 3months. The changes in body weight and HbA1c levels of all participants were observed for 3months following the initiation of tirzepatide treatment. Simultaneously, we conducted a questionnaire survey that included questions on their eating behavior (Eating Behavior Questionnaire) and diet-related quality-of-Life (DDRQOL). HbA1c levels significantly reduced after the first month of administration from 7.40 ± 1.58% at the start to 6.78 ± 0.99% after 3months (p < 0.001). Body weight also significantly decreased from 80.7 ± 13.2kg at the start to 78.3 ± 12.9kg after 3months (p < 0.001). The total Eating Behavior Questionnaire score significantly reduced from 52.9 ± 10.9 points to 47.7 ± 9.9 points after 3months (p < 0.001). There was a strong positive correlation only between the variations of the total score of the Eating Behavior Questionnaire and weight variations (r = 0.363, p = 0.005). Regarding the scores by subscales of DDRQOL, "Satisfaction with diet" changed from 75.3 ± 14.5 points at the start to 73.9 ± 14.8 points after 3months, showing no significant changes (p = 0.335). "Burden of diet therapy" significantly increased from 50.8 ± 14.9 points to 56.1 ± 15.9 points (p = 0.002), as did "Perceived merits of diet therapy" from 57.9 ± 13.9 points to 61.8 ± 11.2 points (p = 0.035). Administration of tirzepatide improved eating behavior, leading to increased diet-related QOL and decreased HbA1c levels and body weight.

This study quantifies the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) of the entire crown of Zelkova serrata under outdoor conditions. The CHTC is determined from whole-tree heat balances for two individual trees which differ in their transpiration rate. The whole-tree transpiration rate of the irrigated tree was measured by a highly accurate, large weighing lysimeter, while the leaf temperatures were measured by infrared thermography. The estimated CHTC was hc=7.9U+17.2 (R2=0.56, U: representative wind speed for the site) for the entire crown and hc= 8.3u+18.2 (R2=0.77, u: wind speed near the leaf) for the individual leaf. The CHTCs were identified as being double the value given by the Jürges formula, due to the size and amount of flutter of the leaves.

Recent industrial globalization have increased importance of functional verification in product design for various ways / situations of use. In particular, for shortening development period, it is desired to perform functional verification and necessary modification of the design plan in the conceptual design phase. This paper describes a framework for such individual functional verification that can be applied to the conceptual design phase. A study with simple examples focusing on definition of function indicated that ways / situations of use affect functions indirectly through behavior of the product. This result implies the functional verification can be performed by modeling functions,behavior and physical phenomena caused by a way / situation of use respectively, by integrating those models and then by analyzing behavior that occurs on the integrated model. This paper presents a method based on graph modeling approach. Those three elements are modeled by function decomposition tree, Petri net and cause-and-effect graph, respectively. The designer relates the function and behavior models by interpreting transitions as sub-functions. The phenomena model is transformed into a Petri net and then integrated with the behavior model by specific places and transitions. This integration can make some behavior infeasible and shows the corresponding function cannot be satisfied. This method was applied to an example and its potential was proven.

The good relations between the reverse characteristics of 4H-SiC JBS diodes and the surface defects were obtained. The reverse characteristics of 4H-SiC JBS diodes were categorized in three groups as follows : (A) low blocking voltage, (B) high leakage current and (C) low leakage current. The groups of (A) and (B) were caused by the existences of the micropipe and small particles, and the carrot-like defects on the SiC surfaces, respectively. In group (C), nanosized circular cone shaped pits (nanopits) were observed at the leakage current sources. The positions of nanopits corresponded to the positions of threading dislocations.

樹高6.4 m のケヤキ単木を対象とした重量計測により，夏季におけるケヤキの蒸散速度と水蒸気拡散コンダクタンスの特性を，潅水停止に伴う水分ストレスの有無に着目して分析した。毎日潅水を行いケヤキが水分ストレスを受けていない条件において，光量子束密度の増加とともに，拡散コンダクタンスは飽和型の増加傾向を示し，700～800［μmol／(m2s)］あたりで飽和に達する傾向が確認された。晴天日において，拡散コンダクタンスのピークは午前に現れ，蒸散速度のピークは午後に現れた。光飽和に達した条件において，飽差の増大とともに蒸散速度は増加したが，飽差が3 倍に増大しても，気孔を閉じることで蒸散速度の増加は1.7 倍であった。この気孔閉鎖の影響は，拡散コンダクタンスの低下傾向として表れた。潅水停止実験により，水分ストレスを受けた状態においても，光量子束密度に対して拡散コンダクタンスには飽和型の増加傾向が示されたが，その日最大値は土壌含水率の低下とともに低下した。潅水停止により，拡散コンダクタンスの低下が現れ始めたのはその2 日目であり，また潅水再開により拡散コンダクタンスが回復したのは，3 日後であった。

A heat flux measurement method was developed to analyze heat flow on heat radiating surfaces. Thermal resistances made of plastic plates were attached to the surface. The heat flux was obtained by measuring the temperature difference between the radiating surface and thermal resistance surface. The surface temperature was measured using thermography. Unlike conventional heat flux sensors which are made of thermopiles, this method does not require installing wiring. It also enables the multipoint measurement of heat flux. The heat flux measurement method was applied to model evaluation and proved the potential of measuring heat flux distribution.

Durch die Nutzung des europaischen Passes konnen die Autobanken aus einem Land heraus in mehreren anderen Landern des europaischen Wirtschaftsraumes Finanzgeschafte anbieten und sich so als europaweit tatige Institutsgruppen aufstellen. Hierdurch konnen Prozesse vereinfacht werden. Mehr noch: es kann ein gesamteuropaisches Auftreten sichergestellt werden, wodurch ein konkurrenzfahiges und gewichtiges Gebilde im Vergleich zu den amerikanischen und asiatischen Markten aufgebaut werden kann. Es wird allerdings aufzuzeigen sein, dass dieses damit erkauft werden muss, dass alle Mitglieder der „Europa-Gruppe“ bereit sind, ihr eigenes nationales Verstandnis zu Gunsten eines einzelnen zu adaptieren. Diesen Weg ist die Toyota Kreditbank GmbH , Koln, seit 1997 gegangen. Seitdem sind funf Zweigstellen und zwei Tochtergesellschaften gegrundet worden.

A MOSFET structure called a FITMOS (floating island and thick bottom oxide trench gate MOSFET) has been successfully developed that exhibits record-low loss in the 60 V breakdown voltage (BVdss) range. The device has a body diode with superior reverse recovery characteristics and exhibits an extremely small value for RonQgd. The distinctive features of this device are the use of floating P islands formed by self-alignment and trench gates with a thick oxide layer at the bottom. The following improvements achieved progress in the characteristic of FITMOS. At the time of AC operation, the charges in the floating P islands which are a feature of the floating type device become greater, increasing the on-resistance (Ron) due to the JFET effect. This issue was solved by forming passive hole gates in the end walls of the trenches. The Ron under AC operation is equivalent to the Ron under DC operation. The trade-off of BVdss and Ron has been improved by making the form of the floating island into an elliptical form. A BVdss of 83 V and specific on-resistance (RonA) of 36 mOmegamm2 were obtained.

This paper describes how mechanical stress affects the electrical characteristics of a power device, depending on the surface structure of the device or the device type. Experimental results show that devices in which the current flow direction is vertical to the substrate, such as trench structure devices, are affected the least by mechanical stress.