Further new or interesting lichens and lichenicolous fungi from Madeira with notes on the genus Gyalidea in Macaronesia

As a contribution to the lichen mycota of the island Madeira (Macaronesia), 62 taxa of lichens and lichenicolous fungi are reported for the first time, including 7 taxa new to Macaronesia: Acrocordia cavata, Amandinea efflorescens, Diplolaeviopsis ranula, Lecanora albellula var. macroconidiata, Lecanora sarcopidoides, Scoliciosporum gallurae, and Thelidium minutulum. A new species, Gyalidea subminuta, is described from Madeira, and a key for the genus Gyalidea in Macaronesia is added.

Lichens and lichenicolous fungi of the Azores (Portugal), collected on São Miguel and Terceira with the descriptions of seven new species

One hundred lichen species and lichenicolous fungi are reported from the Azores, occurring on São Miguel and/or Terceira, collected in 2011 and 2014. Thirty-seven species are newly recorded to the Azores and seven are described as new to science: Byssoloma fuscum, Lecania azorica, Sphaerellothecium heterodermiae, S. parmotremae, Stigmidium micareae, S. subcladoniicola, Thelocarpon microsporum

Foliicolous lichens from Suriname and Guyana: new records and three new species

Sampling of foliicolous lichens by the first author in Suriname in 2014 resulted in 103 records of lichenized and lichenicolous fungi for Suriname, including 89 first records for the country and one undescribed species. Fieldwork in Guyana by the second author in 1992 and 1997 brought 29 new records, including a new chemical strain for Loflammea epiphylla and two undescribed species. A full list for Suriname is presented (130 taxa), the additions for Guyana are listed, and the new species Calenia surinamensis, Enterographa paruimae and Strigula transversoundulata are described.

Three overlooked species of Bacidia from insular Laurimacaronesia

We discuss the taxonomy of three species of Bacidia occurring in insular Laurimacaronesia. Two of them, B. amylothelia (Vain.) Vain. and B. endoleucoides (Nyl.) Zahlbr., which were previously described from Angola and Madeira, respectively, are found here to belong in Bacidia s. str. (Ramalinaceae). Modern descriptions and illustrations are provided for the first time. Bacidia amylothelia is similar to B. areolata Gerasimova & A. Beck, B. campalea (Tuck.) S. Ekman & Kalb, B. fusconigrescens (Nyl.) Zahlbr., B. heteroloma (Vain.) Zahlbr., B. millegrana (Taylor) Zahlbr. and B. suffusa (Fr.) A. Schneid. and is reported here from the Canary Islands. Bacidia endoleucoides is most likely to be confused with B. absistens (Nyl.) Arnold, B. friesiana (Hepp) Körb., B. salazarensis B. de Lesd. and B. caesiovirens S. Ekman & Holien and was found to be widely distributed in the Canary Islands and Azores in addition to Madeira. The third species, Bacidia deludens S. Ekman, Tønsberg & van den Boom, is described here as new to science. Bacidia deludens is characterised by a greyish, crustose thallus with whitish soralia, pale apothecia with crystals in the hymenium and proper exciple, acicular ascospores with 3–19 septa, and the production of fumarprotocetraric acid as the consistently present major substance. It is described here from the Canary Islands and Madeira. Although conservatively treated here in Bacidia, we argue that it is likely to belong in the Malmideaceae. An identification key to all known species of Bacidia s. str. in insular Macaronesia is provided.publishedVersio

Barrett's esophagus and its association with hiatal hernia, cigarette smoking and colonic tumors

Introduction and Aims Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition to esophageal adenocarcinoma involving metaplasia of the esophageal epithelium. Since BE was first identified and described, it has been closely associated with hiatal hernia. The strength of the relationship has never been quantified, nor has the association, adjusted for confounders such as obesity and reflux, been examined. Male gender, obesity and reflux are well recognized risk factors for BE, however it is less certain what role environmental factors such as cigarette smoking play in the development of the condition. The association of BE with colonic tumors has also been speculated on but not clearly established. The aim of this thesis was to further explore the epidemiology of BE, specifically the relationship between BE and hiatal hernia, cigarette smoking and colonic tumors, through meta-analyses. Methods Three meta-analyses and systematic reviews were conducted, quantifying the relationship between BE and hiatal hernia, cigarette smoking and colonic tumors, respectively. Four electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, and Current Contents Connect) were searched for observational studies of BE patients. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random effects model for the association BE with hiatal hernia, cigarette smoking and colonic tumors. Results A positive relationship was observed between BE and hiatal hernia, which remained even after adjusting for reflux. Cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of BE. This was reflected in subgroup analyses of ever-, current- and former-smokers. BE was also associated with colonic tumors. The relationship was observed with both benign adenomatous tumors as well as with colorectal cancer, though it was stronger for colorectal cancer. Conclusions The association between BE and hiatal hernia is stronger for long segment BE when compared with short segment BE, and it appears to be independent of reflux. BE patients are also more likely to have ever smoked cigarettes. BE is associated with colonic tumors, with the association being stronger with colorectal cancer than with benign lesions

Lichens and lichenicolous fungi of Estremadura, Portugal, collected in 2015

One hundred and seven taxa of lichens and lichenicolous fungi are recorded from Estremadura (Portugal), six species are new records to Europe (mainland), Anisomeridium macropycnidiatum, Bacidina brittoniana, Graphis striatula, Lichenopeltella physciae, Pyrenula complanata and Thelotrema laurisilvae. An alphabetical species list with collection localities, substrate and occasional further annotations is presented

Finding the way through the respiratory symptoms jungle: PAL can help: Respiratory Infections Assembly contribution to the celebration of 20 years of the ERS

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Time synchronization for an Ethernet-based real-time token network

We present a distributed clock synchronization algorithm. It performs clock synchronization on an Ethernet-based real-time token local area network, without the use of an external clock source. It is used to enable the token schedulers in each node to agree upon a common time. Its intended use is in resource-lean systems, where heavyweight protocols like NTP cannot be used. We present a short overview of the working of the protocol, as well as experimental results