Synergistic exploitation of geoinformation methods for post-earthquake 3D mapping of Vrisa traditional settlement, Lesvos Island, Greece

The aim of this paper is to present the methodology followed and the results obtained by the synergistic exploitation of geo-information methods towards 3D mapping of the impact of the catastrophic earthquake of June 12th 2017 on the traditional settlement of Vrisa on the island of Lesvos, Greece. A campaign took place for collecting: a) more than 150 ground control points using an RTK system, b) more than 20.000 high-resolution terrestrial and aerial images using cameras and Unmanned Aircraft Systems and c) 140 point clouds by a 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanner. The Structure from Motion method has been applied on the high-resolution terrestrial and aerial photographs, for producing accurate and very detailed 3D models of the damaged buildings of the Vrisa settlement. Additionally, two Orthophoto maps and Digital Surface Models have been created, with a spatial resolution of 5cm and 3cm, respectively. The first orthophoto map has been created just one day after the earthquake, while the second one, a month later. In parallel, 3D laser scanning data have been exploited in order to validate the accuracy of the 3D models and the RTK measurements used for the geo-registration of all the above-mentioned datasets. The significant advantages of the proposed methodology are: a) the coverage of large scale areas; b) the production of 3D models having very high spatial resolution and c) the support of post-earthquake management and reconstruction processes of the Vrisa village, since such 3D information can serve all stakeholders, be it national and/or local organizations

Basic science232. Certolizumab pegol prevents pro-inflammatory alterations in endothelial cell function

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a leading cause of death. Chronic systemic inflammation involving tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) could contribute to endothelial activation and atherogenesis. A number of anti-TNF therapies are in current use for the treatment of RA, including certolizumab pegol (CZP), (Cimzia ®; UCB, Belgium). Anti-TNF therapy has been associated with reduced clinical cardiovascular disease risk and ameliorated vascular function in RA patients. However, the specific effects of TNF inhibitors on endothelial cell function are largely unknown. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms underpinning CZP effects on TNF-activated human endothelial cells. Methods: Human aortic endothelial cells (HAoECs) were cultured in vitro and exposed to a) TNF alone, b) TNF plus CZP, or c) neither agent. Microarray analysis was used to examine the transcriptional profile of cells treated for 6 hrs and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysed gene expression at 1, 3, 6 and 24 hrs. NF-κB localization and IκB degradation were investigated using immunocytochemistry, high content analysis and western blotting. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect microparticle release from HAoECs. Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed that while TNF alone had strong effects on endothelial gene expression, TNF and CZP in combination produced a global gene expression pattern similar to untreated control. The two most highly up-regulated genes in response to TNF treatment were adhesion molecules E-selectin and VCAM-1 (q 0.2 compared to control; p > 0.05 compared to TNF alone). The NF-κB pathway was confirmed as a downstream target of TNF-induced HAoEC activation, via nuclear translocation of NF-κB and degradation of IκB, effects which were abolished by treatment with CZP. In addition, flow cytometry detected an increased production of endothelial microparticles in TNF-activated HAoECs, which was prevented by treatment with CZP. Conclusions: We have found at a cellular level that a clinically available TNF inhibitor, CZP reduces the expression of adhesion molecule expression, and prevents TNF-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, CZP prevents the production of microparticles by activated endothelial cells. This could be central to the prevention of inflammatory environments underlying these conditions and measurement of microparticles has potential as a novel prognostic marker for future cardiovascular events in this patient group. Disclosure statement: Y.A. received a research grant from UCB. I.B. received a research grant from UCB. S.H. received a research grant from UCB. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Post-earthquake recovery phase monitoring and mapping based on UAS data

Geoinformatics plays an essential role during the recovery phase of a post-earthquake situation. The aim of this paper is to present the methodology followed and the results obtained by the utilization of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) 4K-video footage processing and the automation of geo-information methods targeted at both monitoring the demolition process and mapping the demolished buildings. The field campaigns took place on the traditional settlement of Vrisa (Lesvos, Greece), which was heavily damaged by a strong earthquake (Mw=6.3) on June 12th, 2017. For this purpose, a flight campaign took place on 3rd February 2019 for collecting aerial 4K video footage using an Unmanned Aircraft. The Structure from Motion (SfM) method was applied on frames which derived from the 4K video footage, for producing accurate and very detailed 3D point clouds, as well as the Digital Surface Model (DSM) of the building stock of the Vrisa traditional settlement, twenty months after the earthquake. This dataset has been compared with the corresponding one which derived from 25th July 2017, a few days after the earthquake. Two algorithms have been developed for detecting the demolished buildings of the affected area, based on the DSMs and 3D point clouds, correspondingly. The results obtained have been tested through field studies and demonstrate that this methodology is feasible and effective in building demolition detection, giving very accurate results (97%) and, in parallel, is easily applicable and suit well for rapid demolition mapping during the recovery phase of a post-earthquake scenario. The significant advantage of the proposed methodology is its ability to provide reliable results in a very low cost and time-efficient way and to serve all stakeholders and national and local organizations that are responsible for post-earthquake management

Myeloablative conditioning for allo-HSCT in pediatric ALL: FTBI or chemotherapy?-A multicenter EBMT-PDWP study.

Although most children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receive fractionated total body irradiation (FTBI) as myeloablative conditioning (MAC) for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), it is an important matter of debate if chemotherapy can effectively replace FTBI. To compare outcomes after FTBI versus chemotherapy-based conditioning (CC), we performed a retrospective EBMT registry study. Children aged 2-18 years after MAC for first allo-HSCT of bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) from matched-related (MRD) or unrelated donors (UD) in first (CR1) or second remission (CR2) between 2000 and 2012 were included. Propensity score weighting was used to control pretreatment imbalances of the observed variables. 3.054 patients were analyzed. CR1 (1.498): median follow-up (FU) after FTBI (1.285) and CC (213) was 6.8 and 6.1 years. Survivals were not significantly different. CR2 (1.556): median FU after FTBI (1.345) and CC (211) was 6.2 years. Outcomes after FTBI were superior as compared with CC with regard to overall survival (OS), leukemia-free survival (LFS), relapse incidence (RI), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM). However, we must emphasize the preliminary character of the results of this retrospective "real-world-practice" study. These findings will be prospectively assessed in the ALL SCTped 2012 FORUM trial