This article provides a critical review of empirical research on attitudes toward abortion among mass publics in the United States, with a view toward suggesting promising avenues for future research. We identify three such themes: Accounting for pro-life movement among mass attitudes in recent years, when the composition of the U.S. population would seem to trend in a pro-choice direction; explaining the sources of party polarization of the abortion issue; and anticipating changes in abortion attitudes which might result from public debate over human cloning.

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Whether public opinion should be expected to play a role in the shaping of abortion legislation in the states is a debatable question. Representation is a difficult task, especially if legislators receive mixed cues from the public, activists, and the political parties. In this study, we find that grass-roots activism and public opinion tend to match, and both are reflected in state abortion policy. In addition, more Pro-Life policies are found in states with a tradition of conservative policies in other areas, Republican majorities in the state legislature, more Catholic residents, and fewer women legislators. These patterns hold true for a composite index of abortion policies and for the specific policy area of government funding of abortions. Slightly different patterns occur for parental consent law, though these statutes also tend to reflect general preferences on abortion and interest group activity in a state.

Azotobacter vinelandii can grow with a variety of organic carbon sources and fix N2 without the need for added H2. However, due to an active H2-oxidizing system, H2-dependent mixotrophic growth in an N-free medium was demonstrated when mannose was provided as the carbon source. There was no appreciable growth with either H2 or mannose alone. Both the growth rate and the cell yield were dependent on the concentrations of both substrates, H2 and mannose. Cultures growing mixotrophically with H2 and mannose consumed approximately 4.8 mmol of 02 and produced 4.6 mmol of CO2 per mmol of mannose consumed. In the absence of H2, less CO2 was produced, less 02 was consumed, and cell growth was negligible. The rate of acetylene reduction in mixotrophic cultures was comparable to the rate in cultures grown in N-free sucrose medium. The rate of ['4C]mannose uptake of cultures with H2 was greater than with argon, whereas

The article explores four possible explanations for the lower levels of political tolerance of evangelical Christians. First, these differences could be spurious, due to demographic differences. Second, evangelicals may be less tolerant of atheists, homosexuals, and communists, but more tolerant of groups on the other side of the political spectrum, suggesting a group effect. Third, evangelical intolerance may be the result of higher levels of religiosity. Finally, the religious doctrine of evangelicals may produce greater levels of intolerance. Using data from a national survey on tolerance and from the General Social Survey, the article concludes that demographic variables and religiosity are partial explanations for the greater intolerance of evangelicals. Group affect seems to play no role: evangelicals are less tolerant of communists, atheists, racists, and militarists. Finally, religious doctrine plays a major role in explaining evangelical intolerance.