Évaluation des qualités métrologiques de l'outil d'évaluation destiné à évaluer la compétence à "lire et apprécier des textes variés" en français au secondaire

L’objectif du présent mémoire consiste à évaluer les qualités métrologiques de l’outil d’évaluation formative destiné à évaluer la compétence à lire et apprécier des textes variés en français au secondaire Québécois. À cet effet, un outil d’évaluation comportant treize items a été élaboré et testé auprès de six cents deux ( n = 602 ) élèves du premier cycle du secondaire de quatre commissions scolaires des régions de Québec, Portneuf et Shawinigan. Il ressort des analyses que sur les treize items composant l’outil d’évaluation, douze possèdent un pouvoir discriminant et un niveau de facilité acceptable et méritent d’être conservés dans l’outil. Un item possède un niveau de discrimination jugé non acceptable et devrait, par conséquent, être revu, notamment la grille d’évaluation. Ces résultats démontrent que le test d’évaluation formative élaboré est prometteur compte tenu de des qualités métrologiques qu’il a démontrées.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the measurement characteristics of the formative assessment tool whose objective is to assess the competence to read and understand a variety of french texts in Quebec secondary school. For this purpose, an assessment tool consisting of thirteen items has been developed and a test of this tool has been conducted among six hundred and two (n = 602) students of the first cycle of secondary school in four school boards of the regions of Quebec City, Portneuf and Shawinigan. The analysis show that twelve out of the thirteen items of the assessment tool, have an acceptable discrimination parameter and an acceptable level of ease and should be kept in the tool. An item has a level of discrimination found not acceptable and should therefore be reviewed, including the evaluation grid. These results demonstrate that the formative assessment tool developed is promising considering measurement characteristics it has shown

A new species of Eclipta Bates, 1873 from Brazil (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in honor of the late Ubirajara Ribeiro Martins de Souza

A new species of Eclipta Bates, 1873 from Brazil (São Paulo), E. birai, is described and illustrated. A tribute to the late Ubirajara Ribeiro Martins de Souza is provided

TOP TB assay results in 261 HIV-infected TB suspects from Mbarara, Uganda.

<p><b>(a)</b> Vertical line denotes the laboratory cut-off TOP OD (0.0854) for a positive test. Histograms represent the number of subjects with culture-positive (black), culture-contaminated (white) and culture-negative (grey) results, by TOP OD values. The X-axis is zoomed-in at the lower end of TOP OD values (0.100 to 0.300) to show the large number of subjects in this section of the graph. <b>(b)</b> Group TOP OD values according to culture (Cx) and TOP results (group means are 0.67, 0.19, and 0.05, from left to right). The mean TOP OD of culture-positive/TOP-positive (0.67) samples was higher than in culture-negative/TOP-positive (0.19, P<0.0001), suggesting a low bacterial load content in many HIV-infected TB suspects. <b>(c)</b> Median TOP ODs paralleled sputum AFB grades (P<0.0001), demonstrating the semi-quantitative performance of the TOP TB assay. One subject with a scanty AFB reading and a contaminated culture was excluded (TOP OD 0.103). A smoothing spline fit to the data is shown.</p

Distribution of 2-ponA genotypes (sequencing results) in 261 HIV-infected pulmonary TB suspects in Mbarara, Uganda according to TOP TB assay OD values.

<p>Results are shown for all subjects (top), and then separated by those that were culture-positive (middle) and culture-negative (bottom). The X-axis is divided into groups of subjects with similar bacterial loads as measured by TOP OD values. The first group (far left) includes 74 subjects that were culture-negative and TOP-negative (3-ponA primer). N denotes the number of subjects in each TOP OD group; n denotes the number of subjects with a positive 2-ponA genotype in each group. A 2-ponA genotype could not be identified in 8% (4/48) culture-positive/TOP-positive samples and 8% (11/139) culture-negative/TOP-positive samples. A 2-ponA genotype was identified in 1% (1/74) of culture-negative/TOP-negative samples.</p

Detection and Quantification of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> in the Sputum of Culture-Negative HIV-infected Pulmonary Tuberculosis Suspects: A Proof-of-Concept Study

<div><p>Rationale</p><p>Rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is critical for timely initiation of treatment and interruption of transmission. Yet, despite recent advances, many patients remain undiagnosed. Culture, usually considered the most sensitive diagnostic method, is sub-optimal for paucibacillary disease.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We evaluated the Totally Optimized PCR (TOP) TB assay, a new molecular test that we hypothesize is more sensitive than culture. After pre-clinical studies, we estimated TOP’s per-patient sensitivity and specificity in a convenience sample of 261 HIV-infected pulmonary TB suspects enrolled into a TB diagnostic study in Mbarara, Uganda against MGIT culture, Xpert MTB/RIF and a composite reference standard. We validated results with a confirmatory PCR used for sequencing <i>M</i>. <i>tuberculosis</i>.</p><p>Measurements and Results</p><p>Using culture as reference, TOP had 100% sensitivity but 35% specificity. Against a composite reference standard, the sensitivity of culture (27%) and Xpert MTB/RIF (27%) was lower than TOP (99%), with similar specificity (100%, 98% and 87%, respectively). In unadjusted analyses, culture-negative/TOP-positive patients were more likely to be older (P<0·001), female (P<0·001), have salivary sputum (P = 0·05), sputum smear-negative (P<0.001) and less advanced disease on chest radiograph (P = 0.05). <i>M</i>. <i>tuberculosis</i> genotypes identified in sputum by DNA sequencing exhibit differential growth in culture.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>These findings suggest that the TOP TB assay is accurately detecting <i>M</i>. <i>tuberculosis</i> DNA in the sputum of culture-negative tuberculosis suspects. Our results require prospective validation with clinical outcomes. If the operating characteristics of the TOP assay are confirmed in future studies, it will be justified as a “TB rule out” test.</p></div

Characteristics of 261 HIV-infected pulmonary tuberculosis suspects in Mbarara, Uganda by <i>M</i>. <i>tuberculosis</i> culture and TOP TB assay results.

<p>Characteristics of 261 HIV-infected pulmonary tuberculosis suspects in Mbarara, Uganda by <i>M</i>. <i>tuberculosis</i> culture and TOP TB assay results.</p

Distribution of 2-ponA genotypes by culture results.

<p>Each histogram represents 100% of strains for each 2-ponA genotype. N denotes the number of strains in each group. The proportion of samples that were culture-positive decreased with the number of Proline codon deletions (e.g. Genotype 4 = 4 Proline deletions) in the poly-Proline track in the <i>ponA1</i> region targeted by the 2-ponA primer (see Fig B in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0158371#pone.0158371.s001" target="_blank">S1 File</a>) (P = 0.002).</p