Summary Dispersal is a key step in land plant life cycles, usually via formation of spores or seeds. Regulation of spore‐ or seed‐germination allows control over the timing of transition from one generation to the next, enabling plant dispersal. A combination of environmental and genetic factors determines when seed germination occurs. Endogenous hormones mediate this decision in response to the environment. Less is known about how spore germination is controlled in earlier‐evolving nonseed plants.Here, we present an in‐depth analysis of the environmental and hormonal regulation of spore germination in the model bryophyte Physcomitrella patens (Aphanoregma patens).Our data suggest that the environmental signals regulating germination are conserved, but also that downstream hormone integration pathways mediating these responses in seeds were acquired after the evolution of the bryophyte lineage. Moreover, the role of abscisic acid and diterpenes (gibberellins) in germination assumed much greater importance as land plant evolution progressed.We conclude that the endogenous hormone signalling networks mediating germination in response to the environment may have evolved independently in spores and seeds. This paves the way for future research about how the mechanisms of plant dispersal on land evolved.

This study investigated the relations of emerging adults' personal (civic competence and interdependent self‐construal) and community‐based (sense of community and civic engagement) resources as predictors of appraisal of COVID‐19 Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) and attitudes toward preventing contagion in Italy. Participants were 2873 Italian emerging adults (71% females) aged 19–30 years ( M = 22.67, SD = 2.82). Structural equation modeling revealed both direct and indirect positive associations among study variables. Civic competence and interdependent self‐construal were related to sense of community and civic engagement behavior which, in turn, predicted appraisal of PHEM. Appraisal of PHEM in turn predicted attitudes toward preventing contagion. Overall, findings highlight the importance of examining the alignment between personal and collective interests to understand emerging adults' evaluative and attitudinal experiences during a period of crisis, such as that created by COVID‐19.

294 Background: In the U.S., Hispanics have a higher incidence of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and higher disease-specific mortality. The country of origin for Hispanics varies throughout the U.S. However, little is known about Hispanics with HCC in the Northeast. We compared Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients with HCC at a Boston teaching hospital. Methods: Hispanic patients with HCC seen at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) from 1998-2012 were identified in our database. Ethnicity was determined from demographic and language preference information in electronic medical records and supplemented by comparing surnames with the 1990 Census Spanish Surname List. The comparison group was identified by randomly choosing non-Hispanic patients diagnosed the same years as Hispanic patients. We compared both groups using Chi Squared test. Results: 59 Hispanic and 89 non-Hispanic patients with HCC were included in the analysis. The majority (48%) of Hispanic HCC patients were Puerto Rican. Although the median age at diagnosis was similar (59.1 vs 60.3 years for Hispanics and non-Hispanics), there were more women in the Hispanic cohort (28.8% vs 12.4% p0.012). Hispanics had greater odds of not having private insurance (OR 4.24, 95%CI: 2.101, 8.554). Evaluation of HCC risk factors revealed Hispanics were significantly more likely to have hepatitis C (OR 3.68, 95% CI: 1.830, 7.420). In addition, the incidence of Metabolic Syndrome was significantly higher for Hispanics (44.7% vs. 21.7% p0.025). Although individual components of metabolic syndrome were higher in Hispanics, they were not statistically significant: hypertension (52.5% vs 40.4%), Diabetes Mellitus (39% vs 25%), BMI ≥ 30 (39% vs 27%), hypertrigylceridemia (57% vs 52%) and low HDL levels (50% vs 41%). Hispanics were more likely to have received Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) and Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatments (OR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.261, 4.858). Conclusions: Hispanic HCC patients at BIDMC were more likely to have hepatitis C, metabolic syndrome and to be female than their non-Hispanic counterparts. Outreach to Hispanic communities to identify patients with hepatitis C and metabolic syndrome, particularly in women, may improve HCC prevention, screening and treatment outcomes.

Background: To describe the development and implementation of a pilot pediatric nutrition curriculum created by medical students for underserved communities. Methods: Medical students designed an interactive cooking and nutrition curriculum for children to address local community needs. Children participated in the four-module pilot program offered over the summer. Participants completed pretest and posttest surveys before and after the four-week curriculum. A post curriculum implementation survey was filled out by parents to assess long-term effectiveness of the program. Results: The course was divided into four themed nutrition classes that represented major staples of the diet. Within each themed class existed supporting objectives involving kitchen safety, serving sizes, nutrition labels, etc. The pretest group (n=44) scored an average of 59% (n= 3.55/6) on six nutrition knowledge questions. The posttest group (n=21) scored an average of 68% (n = 4.1/6). Post implementation survey response rate was 16% (n = 7/44) with 100% (n = 7/7) of respondents reporting that they would definitely recommend the program. Using a ranking scale (1–5), parents strongly agreed (4.6–5.0) that their children exhibited more confidence in the kitchen (5.0), developed more interest in preparing meals and snacks (4.7), demonstrated greater awareness of kitchen safety (4.7) and displayed more knowledge about nutrition (4.6) after participating in the nutrition program. Conclusion: After piloting the program for two seasons, surveys identified baseline participant characteristics, nutrition knowledge, expected retention rates and longitudinal behavior changes. Further optimization of surveys is needed to better assess the efficacy of the program.

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