diff --git a/boot.php b/boot.php
index 956f2f466c..c7b694dd52 100644
--- a/boot.php
+++ b/boot.php
@@ -567,15 +567,19 @@ function paginate(&$a) {
 
 if(! function_exists('expand_acl')) {
 function expand_acl($s) {
+	// turn string array of angle-bracketed elements into numeric array
+	// e.g. "<1><2><3>" => array(1,2,3);
+	$ret = array();
 
 	if(strlen($s)) {
-		$a = explode('<',$s);
-		for($x = 0; $x < count($a); $x ++) {
-			$a[$x] = intval(str_replace(array('<','>'),array('',''),$a[$x]));
+		$t = str_replace('<','',$s);
+		$a = explode('>',$t);
+		foreach($a as $aa) {
+			if(intval($aa))
+				$ret[] = intval($aa);
 		}
-		return $a;
 	}
-	return array();
+	return $ret;
 }}		
 
 if(! function_exists('sanitise_acl')) {
diff --git a/include/notifier.php b/include/notifier.php
index 2124c18e76..92f7395492 100644
--- a/include/notifier.php
+++ b/include/notifier.php
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
 			$recipients = array_unique(array_merge($recipients,$allow_people,$allow_groups),SORT_NUMERIC);
 			$deny = array_unique(array_merge($deny_people,$deny_groups),SORT_NUMERIC);
 			$recipients = array_diff($recipients,$deny);
-	
+
 			$conversant_str = dbesc(implode(', ',$conversants));
 
 
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	$atom .= "</feed>\r\n";
+	$atom .= '</feed>' . "\r\n";
 
 	if($debugging)
 		echo $atom;
diff --git a/mod/notifications.php b/mod/notifications.php
index f38f5ae37b..603c1117cc 100644
--- a/mod/notifications.php
+++ b/mod/notifications.php
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ function notifications_post(&$a) {
 	
 	$request_id = (($a->argc > 1) ? $a->argv[1] : 0);
 	
-	if($request_id == "all")
+	if($request_id === "all")
 		return;
 
 	if($request_id) {