Harmonization of monitoring protocols and analytical methods is a crucial issue for transnational marine environmental status assessment, yet not the only one. Coherent data management and quality control become very relevant when environmental status is assessed at regional or subregional scale (e.g., for the Mediterranean or the Adriatic Sea), thus requiring data from different sources. Heavy metals are among the main targets of monitoring activities. Significant efforts have been dedicated to share best practices for monitoring and assessment of ecosystem status and to strengthen the network of national, regional and European large data infrastructures in order to facilitate the access to data among countries. Data comparability and interoperability depend not only on sampling and analytical protocols but also on how data and metadata are managed, quality controlled and made accessible. Interoperability is guaranteed by using common metadata and data formats, and standard vocabularies to assure homogeneous syntax and semantics. Data management of contaminants is complex and challenging due to the high number of information required on sampling and analytical procedures, high heterogeneity in matrix characteristics, but also to the large and increasing number of pollutants. Procedures for quality control on heterogeneous datasets provided by multiple sources are not yet uniform and consolidated. Additional knowledge and reliable long time-series of data are needed to evaluate typical ranges of contaminant concentration. The analysis of a coherent and harmonized regional dataset can provide the basis for a multi-step quality control procedure, which can be further improved as knowledge increases during data validation process.

Central exclusive and semiexclusive production of pi(+)pi(-) pairs is measured with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at center-of-mass energies of 5.02 and 13 TeV. The theoretical description of these non-perturbative processes, which have not yet been measured in detail at the LHC, poses a significant challenge to models. The two pions are measured and identified in the CMS silicon tracker based on specific energy loss, whereas the absence of other particles is ensured by calorimeter information. The total and differential cross sections of exclusive and semiexclusive central pi(+)pi(-) production are measured as functions of invariant mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity of the pi(+)pi(-) system in the fiducial region defined as transverse momentum p(T)(p) > 0.2GeV and pseudorapidity vertical bar eta(p)vertical bar < 2.4. The production cross sections for the four resonant channels f(0)(500), rho(0) (770), f(0)(980), and f(2)(1270) are extracted using a simple model. These results represent the first measurement of this process at the LHC collision energies of 5.02 and 13 TeV.

A search is performed for heavy Majorana neutrinos (N) using an event signature defined by two muons of the same charge and two jets (mu+/- mu+/- jj). The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. No excess of events is observed beyond the expected standard model background and upper limits are set on abs(V[mu, N])^2 as a function of Majorana neutrino mass m[N] for masses in the range of 40-500 GeV, where V[mu, N] is the mixing element of the heavy neutrino with the standard model muon neutrino. The limits obtained are abs(V[mu, N])^2 < 0.00470 for m[N] = 90 GeV, abs(V[mu, N])^2 < 0.0123 for m[N] = 200 GeV, and abs(V[mu, N])^2 < 0.583 for m[N] = 500 GeV. These results extend considerably the regions excluded by previous direct searches.

This study aimed to select the Lactobacillus strains, from human milk microbiota, with specific properties of synthesis of exopolysaccharides (EPS), S-proteins and bacteriocins with the potential to be characterised as therapeutic biomolecules. Detection of the „ropy“ phenotype was used for screening of EPS producers, while bacteriocinogenic activity was analysed by the determination of antagonistic activities in vitro. S-proteins of Lactobacillus brevis strains MB1, MB2, MB13 and MB20, were detected by SDS-PAGE analysis of GHCl extracted surfaceome and further analysed by LC-MS/MS using database search by Mascot. For the identification of the genes of interest, responsible for the expression of targeted biomolecules, PCR with specific primers was applied. 1H-NMR analysis confirmed that Lactobacillus fermentum MC1 strain produces EPS. PCR method with eps primers confirmed the genes of the eps cluster. Dendrograms of SDS-PAGE electrophoretic profiles, obtained using GelCompar II, showed characteristic bands of approximately 45 kDa in L. brevis strains identified by mass spectrometry. The spectrum of Lactobacillus strains showed bacteriocinogenic activity, however, the presence of plnJ, plnA and plnEF genes involved in the bacteriocin biosynthetic pathway was confirmed in the genome of six Lactobacillus plantarum strains. The comparative genomic analysis provided insights into the clusters related to the expression of potential biomolecules. The analysis of breast milk microbiota revealed the presence of Lactobacillus strains with the potential to express specific biomolecules. Further investigations will be directed towards deciphering mechanisms of probiotic actions triggered by these biomolecules in order to develop next-generation probiotics.

Measurements of the ZZ production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV are presented. Candidate events for the leptonic decay mode ZZ to 2 l 2 nu, where l denotes an electron or a muon, are reconstructed and selected from data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 (19.6) inverse femtobarns at 7 (8) TeV collected with the CMS experiment. The measured cross sections, sigma(pp to ZZ) = 5.1 -1.4 +1.5 (stat) -1.1 +1.4 (syst) +/- 0.1 (lumi) pb at 7 TeV, and 7.2 -0.8 +0.8 (stat.) -1.5 +1.9 (syst) +/- 0.2 (lumi) pb at 8 TeV, are in good agreement with the standard model predictions with next-to-leading-order accuracy. The selected data are analyzed to search for anomalous triple gauge couplings involving the ZZ final state. In the absence of any deviation from the standard model predictions, limits are set on the relevant parameters. These limits are then combined with the previously published CMS results for ZZ in 4 l final states, yielding the most stringent constraints on the anomalous couplings.

The double-differential inclusive jet cross section is measured as a function of jet transverse momentum pT and absolute rapidity y, using proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC, at a center- of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.43 inverse picoboarns. Jets are reconstructed within the pT range of 74 to 592 GeV and the rapidity range |y| < 3.0. The reconstructed jet spectrum is corrected for detector resolution. The measurements are compared to the theoretical prediction at next-to-leading- order QCD using different sets of parton distribution functions. This inclusive cross section measurement explores a new kinematic region and is consistent with QCD predictions.

The relative modification of the prompt psi(2S) and J/psi yields from pp to PbPb collisions, at the center of mass energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair, is presented. The analysis is based on pp and PbPb data samples collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2015, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 28.0 inverse picobarns and 464 inverse microbarns, respectively. The double ratio of measured yields of prompt charmonia reconstructed through their decays into muon pairs, (N[psi(2S)]/N[J/psi])[PbPb] / (N[psi(2S)]/N[J/psi])[pp], is determined as a function of PbPb collision centrality and charmonium transverse GeV/c and 1.6 < abs(y) < 2.4 covering 3 < pt < 30 GeV/c. The centrality-integrated double ratios are 0.36 +/- 0.08 (stat) +/-0.05 (syst) in the first interval and 0.24 +/- 0.22 (stat) +/- 0.09 (syst) in the second. The double ratio is lower than unity in all the measured bins, suggesting that the psi(2S) yield is more suppressed than the J/psi yield in the explored phase space.

A search for WVγ triple vector boson production is presented based on events containing a W boson decaying to a muon or an electron and a neutrino, a second V (W or Z) boson, and a photon. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.3 fb−1 collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC in pp collisions at s√=8 TeV. An upper limit of 311 fb on the cross section for the WVγ production process is obtained at 95% confidence level for photons with a transverse energy above 30 GeV and with an absolute value of pseudorapidity of less than 1.44. This limit is approximately a factor of 3.4 larger than the standard model predictions that are based on next-to-leading order QCD calculations. Since no evidence of anomalous WWγγ or WWZγ quartic gauge boson couplings is found, this paper presents the first experimental limits on the dimension- eight parameter fT, 0 and the CP-conserving WWZγ parameters κW0 and κWC. Limits are also obtained for the WWγγ parameters aW0 and aWC.

A search for heavy, right-handed neutrinos, N ( = e, μ), and right-handed WR bosons, which arise in the left-right symmetric extensions of the standard model, has been performed by the CMS experiment. The search was based on a sample of two lepton plus two jet events collected in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1. For models with strict left-right symmetry, and assuming only one N flavor contributes significantly to the WR decay width, the region in the two-dimensional (MWR , MN ) mass plane excluded at a 95 % confidence level extends to approximately MWR = 3.0 TeV and covers a large range of neutrino masses below the WR boson mass, depending on the value of MWR . This search significantly extends the (MWR , MN ) exclusion region beyond previous results.

The first evidence for X(3872) production in relativistic heavy ion collisions is reported. The X(3872) production is studied in lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair, using the decay chain X(3872) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-) -> mu(+) mu(-) pi(+)pi(-). The data were recorded with the CMS detector in 2018 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 nb(-1). The measurement is performed in the rapidity and transverse momentum ranges vertical bar y vertical bar < 1.6 and 15 < p(T) < 50 GeV/c. The significance of the inclusive X(3872) signal is 4.2 standard deviations. The prompt X(3872) to psi 2S yield ratio is found to be rho(Pb-Pb) = 1.08 +/- 0.49(stat) +/- 0.52(syst), to be compared with typical values of 0.1 for pp collisions. This result provides a unique experimental input to theoretical models of the X(3872) production mechanism, and of the nature of this exotic state.