Funeral cost was less for younger people and for cremation. Among 156 funerals examined, after matching for sex, age, and cremation/burial, the funerals of a small sample of 6 suicides cost less than those of the controls.

In Nature microbial populations are subject to fluctuating nutrient levels. Nutrient abundance fluctuations are important for evolutionary and ecological dynamics in microbial communities since they impact growth rates, population sizes and microbial physiology. Here we use automated continuous-culture devices and single-cell imaging to show that when populations of Escherichia coli are subject...

OBJECTIVE We investigated the so-called 'disco funeral' phenomenon in Kisumu, Kenya, whereby community members including adolescents congregate at the home of the deceased for several days, accompanied by music and dancing. We explored whether disco funerals are a risk situation for HIV/sexually transmitted infection infection among youth. DESIGN : Cross-sectional qualitative study. METHODS...

Archaeologists often interpret the physical evidence for large-scale consumption of food and beverages as the remains of feasts that successfully enhanced personal reputations, consolidated power, or ensured community solidarity. However, ethnographic accounts illustrate the potential for “feast failure”: people may or may not contribute, may or may not come to the feast, may or may not be sati...

In the closing months of each 3'ear a number of cases of so called "gun-powder injury" to the eyes are met with in the South of India, lhese accidents occur mostly at the time of the feasts of Deepavali (DivaliJ and Kartilc which are commonly spoken of as "cracker feasts." Ihe appearance of an injured eye is most characteristic; it looks as if a number of fine grains of red pepper had been imbe...

In 1981, I was fortunate to be able to conduct epidemiological fieldwork on kuru and the experience forever changed me. At the time, the prevalence and incidence had both declined markedly. Yet, clusters of cases still occurred in various villages and questions arose of whether these were the results of the last feast held in each of these areas. I trekked throughout the kuru region, examining ...