Experimental vehicles FASCar®-II and FASCar®-E

The main goal of the large-scale research facility FASCar® are scientific studies and analyses in the field of driver assistance and vehicle automation. This includes also studies of human behavior, acceptance studies, test of new assistance systems and automation, as well as user friendliness. FASCar® makes it possible to test and analyze innovative systems and developed functions in a simulated or even real traffic environment

AIM in-vehicle platform for ITS services

The application platform for intelligent mobility (AIM) is a large scale research infrastructure operated by the Institute of Transportation System of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in the city and region of Braunschweig. The in-vehicle platform for ITS services (ITS, Intelligent Transportation Systems) is an integral part of this large-scale research facility. The in-vehicle platform for ITS services can be seen as a modular kit which enables up to 50 vehicles to take part in a Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2X) communications in test sites like the V2X reference track in the city of Braunschweig. The in-vehicle platform for ITS services along with its integration into the AIM test field provides answers to a broad set of research questions in the Field of V2X communications on public roads. For example effects can be analyzed, which take place when vehicles with mixed equipped communication technologies are sharing one road

Erweiterung von Parking Communities um RSUs als vertrauenswürdige Partei

Die Suche nach freien Parkplätzen kann besonders in dicht bewohnten Gebieten zeitaufwändig sein. Hinzu kommt die verursachte Umweltverschmutzung durch das Zirkulieren der Fahrer um den Zielort. In dieser Arbeit wird der bereits vorgestellte Lösungsansatz der Parkgemeinschaften in der bereits erprobte Fahrzeug-zu-Fahrzeug-Kommunikation umgesetzt. Zusätzlich werden Road-Side-Units in das Protokoll integriert. Diese können als weitere vertrauenswürdige Instanz in einer Parkgemeinschaft die Entscheidung für einen Parkplatz beitragen und den Einfluss von Störern verringern. Es wurden drei Ansätze entwickelt bei der die Road-Side-Units verschiedenen Rollen innerhalb des Protokolls einnehmen. Weiterhin werden, für die Integration des Parking Communitys Protokolls in die Fahrzeug-zu-Fahrzeug-Kommunikation entwickelte Nachrichten präsentiert. Die Simulation der Integration erfolgt in einem, für diese Arbeit angepasstes Szenario von Braunschweig mit Hilfe von SUMO. Als Simulationswerkzeug wird das Artery Simulationsframework eingesetzt, welches um das Parking Communitys Protokoll erweitert wurde. Im Abschluss dieser Arbeit werden die Ergebnisse der Simulation präsentiert

Establishment of a specimen panel for the decentralised technical evaluation of the sensitivity of 31 rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 antigen, Germany, September 2020 to April 2021

INTRODUCTION: The detection of SARS-CoV-2 with rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) has become an important tool to identify infected people and break infection chains. These RDT are usually based on antigen detection in a lateral flow approach. AIM: We aimed to establish a comprehensive specimen panel for the decentralised technical evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic tests. METHODS: While for PCR diagnostics the validation of a PCR assay is well established, there is no common validation strategy for antigen tests, including RDT. In this proof-of-principle study we present the establishment of a panel of 50 pooled clinical specimens that cover a SARS-CoV-2 concentration range from 1.1 × 109 to 420 genome copies per mL of specimen. The panel was used to evaluate 31 RDT in up to six laboratories. RESULTS: Our results show that there is considerable variation in the detection limits and the clinical sensitivity of different RDT. We show that the best RDT can be applied to reliably identify infectious individuals who present with SARS-CoV-2 loads down to 106 genome copies per mL of specimen. For the identification of infected individuals with SARS-CoV-2 loads corresponding to less than 106 genome copies per mL, only three RDT showed a clinical sensitivity of more than 60%. CONCLUSIONS: Sensitive RDT can be applied to identify infectious individuals with high viral loads but not to identify all infected individuals

The interplay of viral loads, clinical presentation, and serological responses in SARS-CoV-2 – Results from a prospective cohort of outpatient COVID-19 cases

Puchinger K, Castelletti N, Rubio-Acero R, et al. The interplay of viral loads, clinical presentation, and serological responses in SARS-CoV-2 – Results from a prospective cohort of outpatient COVID-19 cases. Virology. 2022;569:37-43

Spatially resolved qualified sewage spot sampling to track SARS-CoV-2 dynamics in Munich - One year of experience

Rubio-Acero R, Beyerl J, Muenchhoff M, et al. Spatially resolved qualified sewage spot sampling to track SARS-CoV-2 dynamics in Munich - One year of experience. Science of The Total Environment. 2021;797: 149031