BACKGROUND Poor medication adherence is a significant problem in hypertensive African Americans. Although motivational interviewing (MINT) is effective for adoption and maintenance of health behaviors in patients with chronic diseases, its effect on medication adherence remains untested in this population. METHODS This randomized controlled trial tested the effect of a practice-based MINT counseling versus usual care (UC) on medication adherence and blood pressure (BP) in 190 hypertensive African Americans (88% women; mean age 54 years). Patients were recruited from two community-based primary care practices in New York City. The primary outcome was adherence measured by electronic pill monitors; the secondary outcome was within-patient change in office BP from baseline to 12 months. RESULTS Baseline adherence was similar in both groups (56.2% and 56.6% for MINT and UC respectively, p = 0.94). Based on intent-to-treat analysis using mixed effects regression, a significant time X group interaction with model-predicted post-treatment adherence rates of 43% and 57% were found in the UC and MINT groups, respectively (p = 0.027), with a between-group difference of 14% (95% CI, −0.2% to −27%). The between-group difference in systolic and diastolic BP was −6.1 mm Hg (p = .065) and −1.4 mm Hg (p = .465), respectively, in favor of the MINT group. CONCLUSIONS A practice-based MINT counseling led to steady maintenance of medication adherence over time, compared to significant decline in adherence for UC patients. This effect was associated with a clinically meaningful net reduction in systolic BP in favor of the MINT group.

The trans-cis isomerization of azo dyes in liquid crystalline hosts is studied. It is shown that the full set of parameters governing the isomerization process can be deduced from polarized pump-probe transmission measurements. The results indicate that the dye order parameter for the trans isomer is relatively high and is strongly related to the liquid-crystalline order. The cis isomer exhibits a much lower dye order parameter and is not strongly dependent on the liquid-crystalline phase. The barrier to the thermal cis-trans relaxation is found to be relatively unaffected by the liquid-crystalline phase, while changes are observed in the pre-exponential factor.

The intensity dependence of optical nonlinearity in a nematic liquid crystal doped with an azo-dye is investigated. The reorientational part of the nonlinearity changes from self-defocusing to self-focusing character while the intensity passes through the saturation value of trans-cis photoisomerization. This observation, in accordance with previous models, indicates that the optical torque generated by the trans-isomers is of opposite sign than the torque generated by the cis-isomers. At very low intensities a further reorientational nonlinearity was found, which is attributed to light-induced orientational redistribution of adsorbed molecules at the surface.

We report photoinduced surface director gliding with azo dye-doped nematic liquid crystals. This gliding has the same characteristics as that induced by an applied magnetic field. Fast and slow dynamic regimes are observed, the latter fitting to a stretched exponential. In addition, the gliding demonstrates a 'sensitizing' effect for sequential measurements.

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Dynamic motions of a rodlike polymer, poly(n-butyl isocyanate) ( = 7.5 X 104, M"/Mn 5 1.2), in carbon tetrachloride were studied by quasi-elastic laser light scattering. The Edwards and Evans model predicts that, in semiconcentrated solution, the rods should exhibit two translational motions, a free translational motion and a cooperative translational motion. Both motions have been observed. However, the cooperative motions do not appear to follow the predicted behavior exactly. The rotational motions follow the Doi and Edwards model where free translational diffusion is a determining factor.

We compare photoinduced reorientation of homeotropic and planar aligned nematic liquid crystal 4-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) doped with trace amounts of azo-dye disperse orange 3 (DO3) by studying the optical nonlinearities of the sample. Theoretical and experimental analyses confirm the proposal that the trans and cis isomers can be treated as independent contributors to the enhancement factor. Dynamic measurements indicate three contributions to photoinduced optical nonlinearities, two of which are isotropic and a third corresponding director reorientation. We also measure a large negative enhancement factor for the trans isomer and a positive enhancement factor for the cis isomer, consistent with previous measurements. The latter indicates that the mean field for the cis isomer is very small. Planar aligned samples demonstrate zenithal gliding whereas homeotropic samples do not. In addition, steady-state and dynamic measurements indicate loss of liquid crystal order associated with absorption as well as possible out-of-plane reorientation.

Gliding of the nematic liquid crystal director on polymethyl-methacrilate layers in a magnetic field is observed. It is found that the kinetics of the gliding process are strongly influenced by the molecular weight of the polymer chains. This fact supports the model of gliding based on the mutual orienting effect of the liquid crystal and polymer network.The interaction between liquid crystals and solid substrates has been the subject of many investigations. One characteristic quantity of the interaction is the so-called easy axis i.e., the direction of the liquid crystal molecules along which the interfacial energy is minimal. In a uniformly oriented liquid-crystalline layer, the easy axis and the liquid crystal director are parallel to each other. If an external torque is applied, which induces a director change along the normal axis of the interface, the surface director deviates by a certain angle from the easy axis; the magnitude of the deviation is determined by another characteristic quantity of the interaction, the anchoring energy.It is a well-known fact that if the surface director and the easy axis are not parallel, the latter axis may reorient toward the former one (gliding effect). Gliding was first studied systematically by Vetter et al.[1] on polyvinyl alcohol coatings. Later further investigations Address correspondence to I. J a anossy,