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We present a new scenario generation process approach driven purely by the out-of-sample performance of a pool of solutions, obtained by some heuristic procedure. We formulate a loss function that measures the discrepancy between out-of-sample and in-sample (in-tree) performance of the solutions. By minimizing such a (usually non-linear, non-convex) loss function for a given number of scenarios, we receive an approximation of the underlying probability distribution with respect to the optimization problem. This approach is especially convenient in cases where the optimization problem is solvable only for a very limited number of scenarios, but an out-of-sample evaluation of the solution is reasonably fast. Another possible usage is the case of binary distributions, where classical scenario generation methods based on fitting the scenario tree and the underlying distribution do not work.

Recently, iron(II) oxalate has experienced a renewed interest due to their newly found application in lithium-ion batteries. Lithium is expected to be embedded between the oxalate sheets, dramatically increasing the need to understand the oxalate structure. Despite being known for decades, the discrepancies still exist regarding the anhydrous iron(II) oxalate. In this work, we explore the dehydration process of both α -FeC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O and β -FeC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O polymorphs at different heating rates and calcination temperatures by X-ray powder diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. After dehydration, iron(II) oxalates formed two polymorphs with different XRD patterns: α -FeC 2 O 4 with sharp and narrow diffraction lines and β -FeC 2 O 4 with very broadened lines, which were attributed to the monoclinic structure with space group P2 1 /n.

Background Previous studies have suggested that, after acquisition of t(11;14), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) pathogenesis may proceed via several different genetic second hits, which may shape different mutational profiles of clinically manifest lymphoma. The most prevalent second hit in MCL includes ATM aberrations, accounting for about half of patients with newly diagnosed MCL. As ATM and TP53 mutations tend to be exclusive in MCL, we retrospectively analyzed the prognostic role of ATM deletions and/or mutations in patients with newly diagnosed MCL, both in the entire cohort and in a subcohort of patients with wild-type TP53 . Methods To investigate deletions and mutations of ATM and TP53 in newly diagnosed MCL, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization and next-generation sequencing. To assess relationships between variables, non-parametric (Spearman) and chi-square tests were used. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to analyze differences in continuous variables between two groups of patients. For survival analyses, the standard Kaplan–Meier estimator and log-rank test were employed. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the prognostic value of various factors on patient survival. Results We analyzed 187 patients with MCL (a median follow-up of 3.6 years). Eighty-one (43%) and 75 (40%) patients had ATM and TP53 aberrations, respectively. Of note, three (9%) patients with mutated ATM harbored a germline mutation. Patients with TP53 aberration had shorter survival rates. Although ATM deletion did not correlate with progression-free survival (PFS) in the entire cohort, it was associated with shorter PFS (hazard ratio 2.25, p  = 0.01) in patients with wild-type TP53 . A higher frequency of ATM deletion correlated with shorter PFS. Patients with ATM mutation (and wild-type TP53 ) had a trend toward better PFS (albeit not statistically significant). Moreover, patients with a higher variant allele frequency of ATM mutation tended to have longer PFS. Conclusions ATM deletion is an important predictor of prognosis in MCL patients and should be routinely examined, especially in those with wild-type TP53 . In contrast, an isolated ATM mutation may predict a better prognosis in the context of standard immunochemotherapy.

Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a rare cancer, and few studies have comprehensively investigated the immune microenvironment and rare lymphocyte-predominant (LP) cells. Here we develop a NLPHL specific lymphocyte-predominant ecotype (LPE) model to identify 34 distinct cell states across 14 cell types that co-occur within 3 LPEs for 171 cases. LPE1 and LPE2 were characterized by immunosuppressive microenvironments with high expression of B2M on LP cells, CD8 T-cell exhaustion, immune checkpoint genes expressed by follicular T-cells, and an improved freedom from progression compared to LPE3 in training ( n  = 109, with 65% LPE1/2) and validation cohorts ( n  = 62, with 61% LPE1/2). We validate the co-occurrence and co-localization of cell states using spatial transcriptomics. Protein expression of HLA-I and HLA-II on LP cells and SSTR2 on dendritic cells was predictive of LPE1 (C-statistic=0.69), LPE2 (C-statistic=0.79), and LPE3 (C-statistic=0.60). This study establishes a clinically relevant biologic categorization for NLPHL. Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a rare cancer. Here, the authors develop a NLPHL specific model to identify 34 distinct cell states across 14 cell types that co-occur within 3 lymphocyte predominant ecotypes (LPEs) for 171 cases.

β-Fe 2 O 3 is a rare crystalline polymorph of the ferric oxide family with an interesting application potential, e.g., in photocatalysis. In this study, the effect of different alkali salts addition, namely NaCl and KCl, on the preparation of β-Fe 2 O 3 via thermally induced solid-state reaction was investigated. Two series of samples were prepared by calcining two different mixtures, Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3  + NaCl (molar ratio 1:3) and Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3  + KCl (molar ratio 1:3) at temperatures from 350 to 700 °C. Although the addition of either alkali salt led the preparation of β-Fe 2 O 3 particles in wide temperature range up to 650 °C, differences in the overall phase composition and β-Fe 2 O 3 purity were observed between the two series. The addition of KCl to Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 allowed the preparation of pure β-Fe 2 O 3 (≥ 95%) in relatively wide temperature range of 450‒600 °C, while in the case of NaCl, pure β-Fe 2 O 3 (≥ 95%) was found only in samples calcined at 500 °C and 550 °C. Other phases could be identified as additional ferric oxide polymorphs, γ-Fe 2 O 3 and α-Fe 2 O 3 . The in situ XRD results suggest that, in the case of NaCl + Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 reaction, simultaneous formation of β-Fe 2 O 3 and α-Fe 2 O 3 may be possible between 350 and 500 °C, depending on the reaction conditions.

The Lamb–Mössbauer factor is a crucial material parameter for the proper quantitative analysis of Mössbauer experiments. We report on a method for determining the Lamb–Mössbauer factor of powdered samples. It utilizes a resonant Mössbauer spectrometer together with a customized sample preparation, which ensures a homogeneous thickness of the powdered absorbers. Compared with other methods of Lamb‒Mössbauer factor determination, the presented approach is direct and requires only a single Mössbauer measurement. To demonstrate this method, the Lamb–Mössbauer factor of iron(II) oxalate dihydrate samples with varying thickness was measured. The resulting value of the Lamb–Mössbauer factor was 0.38 ± 0.03. The presented approach can be used for a large variety of powdered materials.

The simultaneous occurrence of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and ovarian carcinoma (OC) is rare and presents unique challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) offers a minimally invasive method for detecting minimal residual disease in both malignancies. We present the case of a 42-year-old woman with relapsed HL and advanced high-grade serous OC, treated with nivolumab, a PD-L1 inhibitor. After surgery and chemotherapy for OC, she received salvage therapy for cHL, including autologous stem cell transplantation. During the therapy, the patient was monitored using PET/CT and ctDNA analysis. CtDNA analysis detected a Hodgkin-driven compound mutation in the STAT6 gene (N417Y/N421S) allowing early relapse detection and treatment adjustments, detected progression of the disease led to nivolumab initiation. The mutation was used to monitor minimal residual disease (MRD). For ovarian carcinoma, presence of the BRAF V600E mutation as the marker was detected from archival paraffin-embedded ovarian tissue collected at the time of diagnosis, during ctDNA monitoring, BRAF V600E associated with OC remained undetectable, aligning with remission. This case highlights the potential of ctDNA to improve monitoring of concurrent malignancies, especially during immunotherapy, where PET/CT may lead to false-positive results. It is the first reported case of nivolumab treatment for chemo-refractory relapsed HL and OC, demonstrating the utility of ctDNA in managing dual malignancies.

Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and absolute monocyte count (AMC) have been documented as independent predictors of survival in patients with newly diagnosed Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). Analysis of the prognostic impact of ALC and AMC in the context of International Prognostic Index (IPI) and other significant variables in elderly population treated in the R-CHOP regime has not been carried out yet. In this retrospective study, a cohort of 443 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients with age ≥ 60 was analyzed. All patients were treated with the R-CHOP therapy. An extensive statistical analysis was performed to identify risk factors of 3-year overall survival (OS). In multivariate analysis, only three predictors proved significant: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG), age and bulky disease presence. These predictors were dichotomized (ECOG ≥ 1, age ≥ 70, bulk ≥ 7.5) to create a novel four-level score. This score predicted 3-year OS of 94.0%, 77.4%, 62.7% and 35.4% in the low-, low-intermediate, high-intermediate and high-risk groups, respectively (P<0.001). Further, a three-level score was tested which stratifies the population better (3-year OS: 91.9%, 67.2%, 36.2% in the low, intermediate and high-risk groups, respectively) but is more difficult to interpret. Both the 3- and 4-level scores were compared to standard scoring systems and, in our population, were shown to be superior in terms of patients risk stratification with respect to 3-year OS prediction. The results were successfully validated on an independent cohort of 162 patients of similar group characteristics. The prognostic role of baseline ALC, AMC or their ratio (LMR) was not confirmed in the multivariate context in elderly population with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP. The newly proposed age-specific index stratifies the elderly population into risk groups more precisely than the conventional IPI and its existing variants.