Recruitment Opportunities Research Articles

Feasibility of a cluster randomized controlled trial on the\xa0effectiveness of peer\u2013led health education interventions to increase uptake of retinal examination for diabetic retinopathy in Kirinyaga, Kenya: a pilot trial

BackgroundPeople living with diabetes can reduce their risk of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy by attending screening, which enables early detection and timely treatment. The aim of this pilot trial was to assess the feasibility of a full-scale cluster randomized controlled trial of an intervention to increase uptake of retinal examination in this population, as delivered within existing community-based diabetes support groups (DSGs).MethodsAll 16 DSGs in Kirinyaga county were invited to participate in the study. The first two groups recruited took part in the pilot trial. DSG members who met the eligibility criteria were recruited before the groups that were randomized to the two arms. In the intervention group, two peer educators were trained to deliver monthly DSG-based eye health education and individual telephone reminders to attend screening. The control group continued with usual DSG practice which is monthly meetings without eye health education. The recruitment team and outcome assessors were masked to the allocation. We documented the study processes to ascertain the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of the intervention. Feasibility was assessed in terms of clarity of study procedures, recruitment and retention rates, level of acceptability, and rates of uptake of eye examination. We set the target feasibility criteria for continuation to the main study to be recruitment of 50 participants in the trial, 80% monthly follow-up rates for individuals, and no attrition of clusters.ResultsOf the 122 DSG members who were assessed for eligibility, 104 were recruited and followed up: 51 (intervention) and 53 (control) arm. The study procedures were well understood and easy to apply. We learnt the DSG meeting days were the best opportunities for recruitment. The study had a high acceptance rate (100% for clusters, 95% for participants) and high follow-up and retention rate (100% of those recruited). All clusters and participants were analysed. We observed that the rate of incidence of eye exam was about 6 times higher in the intervention arm as compared to the control arm. No adverse unexpected events were reported in either arm.ConclusionsThe study is feasible and acceptable in the study population. The results support the development of a full-scale cluster RCT, as the success criteria for the pilot were met.Trial registrationPan African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR201707002430195 Registered on 25 July 2017.

Partnerships and Collaborations: The Right Alliances for Clinical Trials in Africa.

Africa attracts < 1% of all trials conducted around the world. The implication is that proof of safety and efficacy in Africans is lacking for a lot of new therapies. The sizeable proportion of approximately 20% of the global population that Africa represents largely does not have empiric data to support use of new therapies in a population with a distinct genetic and racial profile. Beyond the imperative of evidence-based interventions, Africans carry a disproportionately heavy burden of certain diseases, including prostate cancer, sickle cell anemia, and malaria. It therefore provides opportunity for efficient recruitment of participants for trials for such diseases. However, this advantage has not convinced sponsors to carry out clinical trials in Africa. India and China each have roughly the same population size as Africa, but each presents just one regulatory jurisdiction for clinical trials. Africa has 54 countries, and a sponsor would theoretically need to file 54 different applications to cover the entire continent. Collaboration and partnership among all stakeholders in the clinical trial ecosystem will reduce the burden on sponsors and make Africa competitive as a destination for clinical trials. Collaboration among national regulatory agencies will enable Africa to be treated as one regulatory jurisdiction and reduce administrative burden. Sites and researchers can partner to improve quality, attain necessary certifications, and increase overall efficiency. Central to all of these are clinical research organizations that can coordinate and work across borders to make clinical trial projects seamless. Ultimately, patients will benefit as quality of clinical practice improves and access to new therapies is enhanced.

4184 Implementation of an Opt-Out recruitment policy at Duke University School of Medicine

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: In March 2019, Duke updated recruitment guidelines and adopted an “Engagement” policy that requires patients to ‘opt-out’ of communications regarding potential research participation. This created an opportunity to evaluate recruitment for ongoing clinical studies pre and post implementation. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Implementation of the new policy required new training for study teams, modification to recruitment plans, and expansion of ongoing efforts to improve direct-to-patient messaging through EPIC/MyChart tools. The impact of this new policy on overall recruitment was monitored and characterized both prior to and after implementation of the policy. Customized MyChart messages have been generated for over 22 studies, with a total of 41,386 messages sent to potential participants. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Only a small number of study teams have modified their recruitment plans with transition to the new policy. This may be related to lack of understanding about policy implementation, potential recruitment opportunities, required training, resource limitations, etc. However, our case study, TMIST, had an 48% improvement in average enrollment within the first 2 months of implementation, and an almost 40% improvement in recruitment efficiency. Since becoming an “opt-out” institution, 11 study teams have implemented direct-to-patient recruitment via the MyChart patient portal. One unintended consequence we’ve noted is several different study invitations to potential participants within some patient populations. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The new policy allows study teams to engage in direct-to-patient outreach, leading to an increase in enrollment for some studies. Incorporation of direct-to-patient messaging strategies can be a cost and resource saving measure to improve recruitment. The need to recruit similar populations demonstrated that strategic, thoughtful approaches are needed.

Catastrophic events and estuarine connectivity influence presence of aquatic macrophytes and trophic status of intermittently-open coastal lagoons in eastern Australia

Small intermittently open lagoons are the most common type of estuary in NSW but the majority of them have no seagrass despite apparently suitable physical and water quality conditions. This paper describes the consequences of a catastrophic drought on trophic structure of primary producers in two intermittently open coastal lagoons that have negligible anthropogenic stress. It examines the roles of various factors influencing primary producers and hence ecosystems in intermittently open lagoons, in both short and long timeframes.Two estuarine lagoons with undisturbed catchments (Durras Lake and Nadgee Lake) experienced decadal scale shift in production dominance from benthic to pelagic and back to benthic following a catastrophic reduction in water levels during drought conditions. Water quality deteriorated significantly (high turbidity, ammonia and chlorophyll) after loss of macrophytes and then re-established to “normal” conditions within 2–3 years. Despite this, macrophytes did not re-appear for 6–7 years. The high proportion of intermittent estuaries with no seagrass was concluded to be a consequence of recruitment limitation, and estuarine morphology shapes the ecology of these lagoons, rather than an inherent inability for seagrass and macrophytes to live in the estuaries. Recruitment of macrophytes required coincident occurrence of multiple rare stochastic events, making chance an important aspect of re-establishment of biological assemblages in disturbance driven ecosystems.Conceptual models derived for northern hemisphere, riverine, surface-water fed estuaries tend to dominate thinking about estuaries in the literature, but are clearly inappropriate for typical southern-hemisphere low-flow and groundwater-dominated intermittent estuaries.Climate change is likely to increase the frequency of occurrence of the conditions that led to the loss of seagrass and macrophytes and therefore potentially reduce the number of intermittent estuaries in NSW with macrophytes. In the systems described, maintenance of regional seagrass populations is reliant on the stochastic survival of some populations to act as source populations. Climate change is predicted to make what are currently “extreme” events more common. This could, in turn, mean that the likelihood of the sort of loss described in our two cases studies could become more common, increasing the proportion of systems with no seagrass and progressively closing the window of opportunity for external recruitment. Potentially, this could lead to localised extinction of seagrass in intermittent estuaries.

The Impact of Decentralisation on Educational Governance in the DR Congo: Strained Budgets and a Patchworked Administration

This chapter analyses the impact of decentralisation on educational governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It considers two facets of decentralisation: deconcentration and devolution (decoupage). We analyse budgetary issues and the number of civil servants as two essential aspects of educational governance. The chapter demonstrates four aspects: First, evidenced by unilateral and precipitated decisions by the Minister of Education, deconcentration has been politically motivated to offer patronage-based recruitment opportunities. The idea to tie educational provinces to administrative provinces (decoupage) has recently been abandoned. Second, deconcentration causes budgetary strains that households have to bear while waiting for the government to provide salaries and operational costs. Third, opaque deconcentration reinforces administrative illegibility of educational actors. Fourth, decoupage has caused a potential need for restructuring faith-based offices, which are highly fragmented on the ground. The results suggest a marginal role of faith-based organisations in national-level educational policies and of international donors in formalizing decision-making processes within the Ministry of Education, an objective they’ve pursued for several years.

Characterization of Work Settings in Which Biosafety Professionals Conduct Operations: Results from the First Survey of the Biosafety Analytics Initiative Survey Series.

With the endorsement and support of the ABSA International Council and the Prevention, Preparedness and Response (P2R) Academy of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, a survey to characterize the work settings in which biosafety professionals operate was conducted. The survey was the first of a planned series of 10 solicitations in support of an overarching "Biosafety Analytics Initiative," the goal of which is to identify commonalities, trends, possible benchmarking opportunities, and professional training needs. The survey was developed, tested, and then distributed electronically for a 3-week period between May 29 and June 19, 2019. A total of 228 ABSA International members completed responses (15.6% of total membership). The results of the survey indicate that 59.7% of the total membership respondents conduct operations in the public or private academic setting, but when separated by domestic vs international respondents, 38% of the international respondents operate in government (nonacademic) settings. The bulk of biosafety activities were reported as providing support to BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratories, with more than 90% of respondents indicating that they support work with risk group 1 and 2 organisms. Approximately 60% of the biosafety programs responding reported being organizationally aligned within institutional Environmental Health & Safety programs. The results of this survey serve as a foundation for current and future ABSA International priorities regarding professional development, recruitment, and training opportunities.

Successful and unsuccessful recruitment and retainment strategies in a UK multicentre drug trial for a rare chronic pain condition which performed above target.

Recruitment into trials in rare chronic pain conditions can be challenging, so such trials consequently are underpowered or fail. Drawing from our experience in conducting, to date, the largest academic trial in a rare chronic pain condition, complex regional pain syndrome, we have identified recruitment and retention strategies for successful trial conduct. We present 13 strategies grouped across the categories of 'setting the recruitment rate', 'networking', 'patient information', 'trial management' and 'patient retention'. Moreover, six recruitment risks are also discussed. A conservative recruitment estimate, based on audits of newly referred patients to the trial centres without taking into account availability of 'old' patients or recruitment from outside centres, and assuming a 55% patient refusal rate yielded accurate numbers. Appreciation of these identified recruitment challenges and opportunities may contribute to supporting prospective investigators when they design clinical trials for chronic pain patient population groups where it has been historically difficult to conduct high-quality and robust clinical trials.

The Alchemy of a Pyramid: Transmutating Business Opportunity Into a Negative Sum Wealth Transfer

Multi-level marketing (MLM) presents a challenging informational environment for participants. MLMs offer participants the right to sell a product with the recursive right to recruit new participants. In addition to typical business opportunity challenges of assessing retail demand, individuals face challenges in trying to understand the recruitment opportunity. To illuminate the difference between a potentially beneficial MLM and a harmful one - typically referred to as a pyramid - we model the pricing decisions of an MLM firm. We take beliefs about the value of an associated product and about the probability of recruitment as given, but potentially wrong. We find that participant optimism about the offer creates expected loss from demand - as is usual for deceptively marketed business opportunities - but also creates an opportunity for the firm to induce a transfer scheme, and associated losses related to that scheme, independent of consumer demand for any product.

Strategies and Opportunities for Student Recruitment and Retention in African Universities: Lessons from Western Universities

Student recruitment and retention are an important management and marketing strategy for higher education institutions such as universities. These strategies are increasingly becoming crucial terminologies in the education sector around the world today. Stakeholders, for example, parents and policymakers, see recruitment and eventual retention of students as both an effective part of measure and indicator of university performance and student success. While recruitment and retention strategies may relatively vary, such variation in most cases can inform a hallmark of management and marketing deficiency. This scenario typically characterizes African universities, where inclusive best practices of student recruitment and retention trends have been less receptive. This study aims to identify the gap existing between African universities student recruitment and retention strategies and that used at western universities. The study adopts a qualitative, analytical approach based on a review of existing literature, and a combination of the author’s experience of past involvement in a somewhat student retention process. Findings show that recruitment and retention strategies at African universities are lacking. Further, their marketing strategies are riddled by lack of commitment, professionalism, and student diversity principles. This situation has impacted the education sector adversely. The study provides a conceptual analysis of recruitment and retention, but re-conceptualizes the latter more broadly, in the context of manifest current realities. Furthermore, it proposes principles of student recruitment and retention. The study overall argues that African universities can tailor western universities recruitment and retention strategies as opportunities for sustaining international best practices to compete globally in the international educational market.

Enhancing communication and social engagement among clinicians and research teams to improve reliability of research recruitment

The success of rare disease research relies heavily on robust partnerships with clinicians to help identify new patients and collect samples. Many studies for paediatric rheumatic diseases requiring pretreatment samples...

Self-efficacy, Self-Esteem, and Career Success: The Role of Perceived Employability

Perceived employability is the workers' perception of comfortably getting a recruitment opportunity. This paper investigates role breadth self-efficacy and organization based self-esteem as important antecedents of individuals' perceived employability and tests its subsequent relationship with their career success. We collected primary data from 233 respondents working into banking, insurance, and health industries sectors in southern Punjab Pakistan. The results reveal that individuals' role breadth self-efficacy and organization based self-esteem are positively related to their employability perception which further plays a mediating role in the relationship between self-efficacy and employee career success and self-esteem and employee career success. Important theoretical and

Employer perceptions of the business benefits of sustainable transport: A case study of peri-urban employment areas in South West England

There is considerable interest in the contribution that workplace-based mobility management interventions can make to achieving more sustainable mobility patterns. A number of studies have evaluated the impacts of workplace-based interventions on the commuting behaviour of staff, but the broader potential of such initiatives depends on the willingness of employers to support them. Little research has been carried out examining the perspectives of senior managers. The research which has been conducted has focused on employers located in urban or rural areas. This paper reports on in-depth interviews with senior managers of employers located in two peri-urban areas on the edge of the city of Bristol, south-west England. The research was carried out during a period when public funding was available to support the introduction of sustainable transport measures. The interviews aimed to find out whether senior managers perceived the promotion of sustainable transport as relevant to their business concerns, and how this varied between different types of organisation. The results showed that all managers believed that measures to increase the use of alternative modes for commuting and local business travel could be beneficial for their business, even if these benefits were indirect and difficult to quantify. The perceived benefits of sustainable transport included: helping to ease traffic congestion on the road network, thereby reducing associated delays and stress; helping employers manage excessive demand for car parking; improving staff wellbeing; and widening the recruitment opportunities among workers lacking access to a private car. Employers who perceived the greatest benefits were also the most willing to engage with public authorities in introducing new workplace-based mobility measures. The findings on employer support for mobility management are relevant not only to peri-urban areas but also to employment sites within other areas (in particular suburban areas and the rural hinterland) where the same challenges may apply of encouraging alternatives to single occupancy car use without the means to invest in comprehensive public transport.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention With Type 2 Diabetic Patients at Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention With Type 2 Diabetic Patients at Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.

Disability, Performance, and Discrimination in the Service to Humanity

AbstractIn an age when the church is called upon to be an inclusive community, persons with disabilities in Nigeria are still grappling with exclusion. Disability is associated with multiple challenges. The challenges include degrading treatment, marginalization, and exclusion from recruitment opportunities, as well as discrimination in churches. Some people believe that disability has negative connotations and that persons with disabilities are hopeless, helpless burdens and passive “objects” meant to receive charity as well as physical and spiritual deliverance. Persons with disabilities are stereotypically seen as incapable of being productive. It is assumed that because people live with disabilities, they are not meant to occupy leadership positions or fully partake in church activities. The expectation that persons with disabilities be wholly embraced into the Christian fold is yet to be met. This article shares information on the context in which some of the challenges facing persons with disabilities are rooted. It examines the involvement and experiences of persons with disabilities in the activities of the church, church institutions, and church‐affiliated organizations in Nigeria while acknowledging the church’s mandate of inclusion. It finds that stereotyping and discrimination are challenges for persons with disabilities – individuals who are also made in the image of God. In the future, more research needs to be carried out on issues around the isolation of persons with disabilities in the body of Christ. The findings would help interested groups recognize the predicaments of persons with disabilities and find realistic strategies for a progressive inclusive church community – in this way assisting the efforts of the World Council of Churches’ programme on disability.

Environmental watering triggers rapid frog breeding in temporary wetlands within a regulated river system

The Murray–Darling basin is the most extensively regulated river system in Australia and delivery of environmental water is increasingly being used in its management. Due to their sensitivity to hydrological changes, frogs are often targets of environmental watering actions, and site-specific data on their habitat and water requirements are essential for achieving optimal ecological outcomes. I investigated the spatial and temporal response of frogs to the environmental watering of temporary wetlands in the lower River Murray region to determine if watering (timing, duration and quality) triggered a breeding response and provided opportunities for juvenile recruitment. Frog and tadpole surveys were conducted each month from December 2014 to April 2015 at watered temporary wetlands and permanent wetlands along on the River Murray in South Australia. All seven frog species known from the lower Murray valley bred opportunistically after deliberate flooding of temporary wetland sites. Breeding was immediate and was observed at all watered sites. Tadpole development was largely synchronous and rapid, with the majority of frogs metamorphosing 3 to 4 months after wetlands were inundated. The abundance and diversity of tadpoles and frogs was significantly greater in watered wetlands than in permanent wetlands. Wetlands required inundation for a minimum duration of 4 months over summer and autumn to allow sufficient time for tadpoles to complete development. Environmental watering of wetlands via pumping, whilst highly localised, can target key ecological assets in dry conditions, and may provide critical breeding opportunities and refugia for maintaining frog species and their ecological roles.

Early recruitment of boreal forest trees in hybrid poplar plantations of different densities on mine waste rock slopes

Mine wastes create harsh recruitment conditions for forest tree seedlings, especially waste rock piles where erodible slopes are prone to drought. Plantations using fast-growing tree species can potentially accelerate the conversion of degraded mine sites into forests through facilitation of tree recruitment, while contributing to the stability of slopes. In this study, hybrid poplars were tested as a means of achieving reclamation objectives by providing shelter for forest tree seedlings on waste rock slopes (3H:1V ratio) in the Canadian southern boreal region. Density effects of young hybrid poplars were assessed on the emergence and survival of early, mid and late successional species, naturally occurring or hand-seeded, and on the understory micro-environmental parameters in plantations of different spacings (1 × 1, 2 × 2, 4 × 4 m and control without planted trees). Results were also compared in 2 × 2-m plantations with and without a hydroseeded herbaceous cover, traditionally used to control erosion in slopes. During the 2nd growing season of the plantations, seedling emergence of naturally established Salicaceae (Populus and Salix) species followed a quadratic pattern along the density gradient, as emergence values were higher under an intermediary density. Nonetheless, decrease in light transmission emerged as a limiting factor of seedling survival for these early-successional, shade-intolerant species by the next summer. Following a spring sowing experiment in the 3rd growing season of the plantations, emergence rates for later-successional Picea glauca and Abies balsamea seedlings increased with hybrid poplar density. During their peak emergence period, in early season, higher soil moisture content was found under denser cover. However, at the end of the third year of the plantations, only A. balsamea showed moderate increase in early recruitment success rates under denser tree cover. In hydroseeded plots, a competitive effect of the herbaceous cover was observed on Salicaceae emergence and A. balsamea survival. These results suggest that planting of young plantations without a hydroseeded cover may offer a more suitable solution in order to quickly provide early recruitment opportunities for later-successional seedlings in waste rock slopes. Despite this, a significant decrease in moisture content recorded during the second half of the 3rd growing season under the 1 × 1-m cover, compared to the 2 × 2-m, likely signalled an increasing competitive effect from hybrid poplars, which may compromise their nursing potential in the longer term. Therefore, further monitoring is imperative for a better understanding of longer-term facilitation and competition interactions between nurse trees and understory seedlings in waste rock slopes, where competition for limited resources, such as water, may be severe.

Cracking the coding ceiling: Looking at gender construction in data journalism from a field theory perspective

Abstract This article examines the construction of gender in data journalism from a field theory perspective. It focuses on the internal logic of data journalism as well as on its relationship with the computer field. Our research question explores how male and female data journalists accumulate capital and build careers in data journalism. We conducted 26 qualitative interviews with a cross-national sample of journalists who had varying levels of interest and experience in data journalism. The findings indicate that female journalists see both opportunities and challenges in data journalism. On the one hand, women entered the field of data journalism in an attempt to avoid male-dominated networks, harassment and gender segregation, which limits their opportunities for recruitment and career advancement in traditional journalism. On the other hand, data journalistic skills were discursively gendered. Digital capital, which could be exchanged for greater amounts of symbolic capital, was typically associated with masculinity.

Trophic interaction of fish larvae, phytoplankton, and zooplankton in Pari Island lagoon

Fish larvae are one of the critical periods in fish life cycle due to the availability of convenient prey. The aim of this research was to describe the dynamic and variation of fish larvae and its prey which could predict fish larvae survival and recruitment success of fish population in Pari Island lagoon. The research was conducted at Pari Island lagoon, Seribu Islands in Jakarta Province since June – November 2010. Fish larvae, zooplankton and phytoplankton samples were taken ten times in 6 months. Zooplankton and fish larvae were identified, and their biomasses were measured. A feeding experiment was done to analyze the food preferences of fish larvae. Results show that there were two peaks of fish larvae biomass indicated the post spawned season of fishes, occurred at the beginning of July and October. The high biomasses of fish larvae at the beginning of July was supported by the high growth rate of zooplankton and phytoplankton and resulted in the opportunity for recruitment succeed. The next spawned season occurred at the beginning of October was not supported by the high number of zooplankton biomass, resulted in the collapse of fish larvae biomass.

Transforming Pediatric T2D Clinical Research—A Network Model

Background: Treatment options for youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are limited compared to those for adults with T2D. As pediatric clinical trials in T2D are difficult to complete, due to lower prevalence and population related recruitment challenges, clinical sites are often reluctant to participate. Protocol design, often not appropriate for pediatrics, administrative and financial burden related to study participation further reduce site interest. Methods: The Pediatric Diabetes Consortium (PDC) is a network of 49 U.S. diabetes centers working together to improve care for children with diabetes. Recognizing challenges associated with pediatric T2D clinical trial participation, the PDC developed a network model to improve efficiency for both sites and sponsors. Innovations: A consulting group was formed to assist with protocol design appropriate for T2D pediatric studies. A PDC master agreement with sites eliminates need for negotiation of standard contract language between sponsor and each site, allowing for a single contract between the PDC and sponsor. A single budget, based upon a clinical trial budget template, reflecting actual site costs, is negotiated by the PDC for all sites. Central archiving of site metrics eliminates need for a feasibility survey before site selection occurs. Monthly site calls led by an investigator oversight committee provide opportunities to discuss enrollment strategies, study challenges and best practices, and provide real-time feedback to sponsor. Conclusion: Efficiencies established by the PDC network model reduce workload for sites and start-up timeline for sponsors. Population-appropriate trial design improves recruitment opportunities. Ongoing site engagement helps to identify and mitigate protocol issues in real-time. The network model improves likelihood of successful trial operations. To date, 26 PDC sites have participated in at least 1 of 3 studies, enrolling 137 across studies so far, contributing to successful recruitment ahead of projected schedule. Disclosure R.L. Gal: Research Support; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc. L.C. Beaulieu: Research Support; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc.. K.D. Keelin: None. J.E. Less: None. B.A. Nelson: Speaker's Bureau; Self; Dexcom, Inc.. K.A. Wintergerst: None. G.J. Klingensmith: Research Support; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novo Nordisk Foundation. W.V. Tamborlane: Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc..

High genotypic diversity and strong spatial structure in populations of Trifolium alpestre with low seed production

Studies on clonal plants indicate that the proportion between clonal and sexual reproduction can be variable, depending on local habitat conditions and the biological characteristics of the species. In the present study, we assessed this question in Trifolium alpestre by assaying genetic diversity and spatial genotypic structure of natural populations with the use of allozyme markers. Populations revealed high genetic diversity as well as strong spatial structure of multilocus genotypes. The values of genetic diversity were moderately high. Spatially aggregated, identical genotypes spread up to 15 m along linear transects and across 4‐m2 plots indicate extensive clonal propagation within populations. However, the existence of numerous unique and small‐sized clones reflects significant contribution from sexual reproduction. Spatially and temporarily stochastic soil disturbances have evidently opened new opportunities for the successful sexual recruitment from the permanent soil seed bank and thus counteracted losses of genetic and genotypic diversity. Seed production in all populations during the three study years was low, in average up to 1.5–2.4 seeds per shoot. The almost total lack of seed set for 57 bagged flower heads on genotypes grown in a common garden indicates that T. alpestre needs pollinators for seed production.