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The research reported here was a survey study exploring attitudes toward hate crime laws and possible causes of such attitudes. In a path model, which was supported by the data, it was found that the major factor determining acceptance or rejection of a hate crime law was whether or not homosexuals would be included as a protected group: those wanting inclusion supporting such a law, and those not wanting inclusion opposing such a law. Consistent with identity politics theory, the data-supported model further found that both social and economic liberals, and people who thought hate crimes created fear in other members of the victim's group, wanted homosexuals included in hate crime laws. Other findings, however, were inconsistent with the identity politics theory position that this movement was a united front. Other results from the data-supported model are also discussed and explanations are provided.

Patients with malignant gliomas, tumors of the supporting elements of the nervous system, have circulating T-cells which are capable of killing their tumor cells, at least in cell culture. Why the tumor within the patient is spared is not certain, but many attempts to harness this therapeutic potential have been made. Often this entails injecting activated T-cells into the tumor bed after surgical removal. The procedure has not proved immensely effective. Nonetheless, study of the cell-killing properties of the T-cells of glioma patients may be useful in perfecting this procedure. T-cells were obtained from the peripheral blood of 29 glioma patients, which were stimulated with interleukin-2 (IL-2) alone, or interleukin-2 with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), a lectin which binds to cells and stimulates cell division. The cells obtained from IL-2 stimulation alone are referred to as lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, and those stimulated by PHA are autologous-stimulated lymphocytes (ASL). When incubated with target cells, the LAK cells began to kill the targets more rapidly, and the ASL caught up after 18 hours. The cultured cells varied markedly among patients in their ability to kill target cells. It is not known if this variation is due to the chemotherapy received by the patients, or whether it represents an intrinsic variation among patients. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

The study examined what factors led pastors to say something either negative or positive about former President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky for a sample from “Middletown.” There was no significant difference between three Protestant categories (Holiness/Pentecostal, white conservative Protestant, and mainline Protestant) in whether ministers said something or not. Analysis for those who said something indicated that the ministers who made the most critical statements in their sermons were from the most conservative/orthodox of our category of churches, i.e., Holiness/Pentecostal congregations, from the strictest churches and from churches with the greatest number of Republicans (betas were .30, .26, and .19, respectively). Also, members of Holiness/Pentecostal churches were more likely to be working class but not more Republican. Possible explanations are discussed.

This study was done to integrate previous work on discriminatory tendencies against those who have AIDS and the possible role of two new variables, perceived responsibility and God's retribution. Using interview data from 205 randomly selected respondents from “Middletown” (Muncie, Indiana), an empirical model was developed. Ratings on homosexual intolerance had the biggest influence on tendencies toward discrimination against AIDS. This type of intolerance was confirmed as a part of a traditional and politically conservative perspective in which the ideas that those with AIDS are responsible for their predicament and God punishes those who sin play an important role.

This study explored factors related to anti-Arabic prejudice by surveying a random sample of 418 people from “Middletown” (Muncie, Indiana). Anti-Arabic prejudice was high in the fall of 1990. Multiple regression analysis indicated that, as in other studies of prejudice, low education and high authoritarianism had the strongest independent relations with this type of prejudice. However, being Protestant, vs Catholic, was independently related to anti-Arabic prejudice, Protestants being more prejudiced than Catholics. Also, an interaction obtained between race and religious fundamentalism. Specifically, white fundamentalists were more prejudiced than white nonfundamentalists, but black fundamentalists were much less prejudiced than black nonfundamentalists. Other analyses supported the realistic conflict theory of prejudice by providing some support for the idea that those who saw Arabs as an economic threat were more prejudiced. The results are discussed.

62 white subjects participated in an experiment to assess reactions to reverse discrimination. After losing to a black confederate on two tests of ability either because the confederate had more ability or because the confederate was black (reverse discrimination), the subjects' reactions to the black were assessed. Reverse discrimination was considered more unjust and this could possibly be viewed as a violation of three principles, equity, equality, and need. Furthermore, reverse discrimination produced some tendency to feel one had less control over rewards in life. However, reverse discrimination did not increase aggression or prejudice toward blacks or a tendency to believe in an unjust world Possible reasons were given for why a feeling of injustice in reaction to reverse discrimination did not lead to overt aggression toward the black confederate.

A random sample of residents of Middletown provided evidence that the advocacy (or condemnation) of the Moral Majority by the leaders of one's own church is another environmental influence, in addition to exposure to conservative religious television, in mobilizing support for this political/religious group. Other findings confirmed the continued role of a Christian Right orientation and authoritarianism in predisposing individuals to support the Moral Majority and raised the possibility that the Moral Majority is becoming perceived more as a conservative political, and less as a conservative religious, group. A discussion of these continued and new influences on support for the Moral Majority was then presented.

For a single-dose toxicity assessment, five patients with recurrent malignant glioma (ages 29–46 years) were treated with intracavitary alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). The trial tested the hypothesis that alloreactive CTL, sensitized to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins of the patient, offer selective, targeted killing of glioma cells that express MHC. Patient lymphocytes, which also express MHC, were irradiated and placed into CellMax artificial capillary systems with lymphocytes from MHC-disparate donors and CTL developed over a 2- to 3-week period with a low concentration of IL-2. The CTL largely expressed CD3 and CD11a/CD8 markers and lysed targets displaying patient MHC. CTL were implanted into the tumor bed at surgery and a catheter was used for subsequent infusions. Patients received one to five treatment cycles every other month; one cycle generally consisted of two or three CTL infusates administered within a 1- to 2-week period. Different unrelated donors were used for each cycle. Treatment was well tolerated; transient toxicity at grades 1–3 was recorded by NCI Common Toxicity Scale criteria. Two glioblastoma patients have died; one from tumor recurrence locally and the other from recurrence at a site distant from the treatment. Two of the five patients completed five cycles; one anaplastic oligodendroglioma patient shows no evidence of tumor 30 months from the start of immune therapy and an anaplastic astrocytoma patient shows stable disease 28 months after initiation of therapy. One anaplastic oligodendroglioma patient, who dropped the protocol during her second treatment cycle, has no evidence of tumor 28 months after recurrence.

Samples were taken from “Middletown” in 1985, 1986, and 1987 to assess tendencies to discriminate against AIDS victims and what factors were related to this tendency. A tendency to discriminate against AIDS victims has decreased significantly from 1985 to 1987, and those who are most likely to discriminate were members of the Christian Right and who have more of an individual than a community orientation.

Current discussion of the church-state issue focuses on whether the state should support religion in general and whether public officials should be directed by their churches moral concerns in the execution of public office. In addition, there is concern about government control over religion. This paper reports a study of attitudes on church and state in "Middletown." The main finding is that conservative Christianity seems to be the major force shaping church-state attitudes. In general, the influence of conservative Christianity is in the direction of favoring a state supportive of religion and dominated by Christian principles. The paper closes with a discussion of the relation between conservative Christianity and modernization.

The paper reports a study of religion and attitudes concerning nuclear disarmament. It was expected that because of the recent pronouncements of Catholic leaders, Catholics would favor a freeze more than Protestants. Data were collected from a sample of respondents living in the Murine, Indiana SMSA (“Middletown”; N=393). It was found that Catholics more than Protestants and those aware that their church leaders have supported a freeze were more likely to favor a freeze. Controlling for nonreligious variables did not change these results.