Parosteal Osteolipoma in the External Auditory Canal: A Rare Variant of Lipoma.

Osteolipomas are a rare variant of lipomas. We present a case of osteolipoma of external audiotry canal in a 30 year old lady who presented with right sided ear fullness since 2 years. A well circumscribed mass was found arising from right bony external audiotry canal. Computed tomography revealed a calcified lesion measuring 9 × 7 mm in the cartilaginous portion of right external auditory canal. Diagnosis of Osteolipomas was made histologically and patient was treated with simple excision of the mass under local anaesthesia.

The Effect of Ingroup vs. Outgroup Members' Behavior on Charity Preference: A Drift-Diffusion Model Approach.

Providing potential donors with information about the behavior of others (i.e., social information) is an increasingly used strategy to nudge prosocial decision-making. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ingroup vs. outgroup information on participants' charity preferences by applying a Drift Diffusion Model (DDM) approach. In a joint evaluation scenario, we manipulated different levels of ingroup/outgroup preference ratios for two charities within subjects. Every subject was presented with three stimulus types (i.e., high, medium, and low ingroup ratio) randomized in 294 trials divided into six blocks. We expected that for stimuli with a high ingroup/outgroup ratio, participants should more often and faster decide for the ingroup's most favored charity. We expected that the speed of evidence accumulation will be higher the larger the ingroup/outgroup ratio. Additionally, we investigated whether variations in model parameters can explain individual differences in participants' behaviors. Our results showed that people generally followed ingroup members' preferences when deciding for a charity. However, on finding an unexpected pattern in our results, we conducted post-hoc analyses which revealed two different behavioral strategies used by participants. Based on participants' decisions, we classified them into "equality driven" individuals who preferred stimuli with the least difference between ingroup and outgroup percentages or "ingroup driven" individuals who favored stimuli with the highest ingroup/outgroup ratio. Results are discussed in line with relevant literature, and implications for practitioners are given.

A Rare Case of Laryngeal Hamartoma.

Hamartoma presenting in the larynx is a rare entity. The common presentation of such a lesion may include stridor, hoarseness of voice, choking sensation, dyspnea and in children, failure to thrive. It is a benign lesion and can be confused with other benign lesions like lipoma, fibroma, chondromas etc. Pathologically it consists of a mesodermal compartment and a granular compartment. Hamartomas mainly occur  in pediatric age group. When it occurs  in adults, males are more commonly affected than females. With  very few cases reported so far, we present a case of laryngeal hamartoma presenting in a lady with progressive hoarseness of voice as a presenting feature.

Intra Parotid Facial Nerve Neurofibroma: A Rare Case Report.

Primary solitary neurofibromas of facial nerve in the parotid are rare. We present a case of solitary neurofibroma of facial nerve within parotid gland in a 38 year old gentleman who presented with left sided painful preauricular swelling of 3 months duration with normal facial nerve function.Computed tomography (CT) revealed a well marginated solid mass within superficial lobe of left parotid gland showing mild enhancement. The mass could not be delineated from peripheral buccal branch of facial nerve during surgery and histopathology revealed a neurofibroma.

Extracellular laccase production and its optimization from Arthrospira maxima catalyzed decolorization of synthetic dyes.

In the present study laccase production potential of a photosynthetic, non nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria Arthrospira maxima (SAE-25780) was investigated for their probable use in synthetic dye decolorization which poses environmental pollution problem in aquatic bodies. A. maxima (SAE-25780) showed a constitutive production of laccase which increased up to 80% in the presence of inducer guaiacol. The optimal condition for laccase was 30 °C, 10 mM sucrose as a carbon source, 10 mM sodium nitrate as a nitrogen source, and 2 mM copper as metal activator. The partially purified laccase showed 84% and 49% decolorization potential for the two anthroquinonic dyes-Reactive Blue 4 and Remazol Brilliant Blue R, respectively (RBBR) within 96 h without any mediator. Therefore the laccase extracted from A. maxima (SAE-25780) can be used efficiently in bioremediation of synthetic dyes from paper, pulp and textile industries.