How can gastronomy impact the social change of a vulnerable population assisted by social programs? The case of Brazilian social gastronomy

Social gastronomy is a topic studied in recent years, mainly due to the continuous emergence of organizations categorized within this concept during the economic crisis and pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. However, very little research has been done on the team associated with social gastronomy. And in Brazil, this movement has been growing in recent years, highlighting here in this work a social project in partnership with the university in a peripheral neighborhood of one of the largest metropolises in Brazil, Fortaleza. The Federal University of Ceará Social Gastronomy Program (Gastronomia Social UFC), an extension program of the Federal University of Ceará, promotes qualification courses for young people and adults, residents of the city of Fortaleza-CE, especially in the neighborhoods that make up the Grande Bom Jardim (Canindezinho, Bom Jardim, Siqueira, Granja Portugal, and Granja Lisboa), in communities whose population is prone to social risks, since this entire area has a high level of violence and a low HDI. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the social impacts of the courses offered by the Social Gastronomy Program in People's Garden in 2019. The research was qualitative, quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive, carried out between February and March of 2021 through an electronic form with a sample of 51 students participating in the courses. The results showed that the courses promoted favorable social impacts for the community and provided opportunities to improve the quality of life, skills, and techniques in gastronomy, fulfilling a role commonly expected by the extension of the Federal University of Ceará.

Online platform AAC-An option for continuing education and training for professionals in the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication?: Results of an interview study

Extensions and new conceptions for basic and advanced trainings in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) are needed. Specialists have to deal with challenges in their qualification process. Limited time and financial resources, regional imbalance in the supply and a mismatch in the supply structure and needs of the experts are just some of the aspects that are listed in a current study (Burgio, 2020 a). In the context of advancing digitization and media-based learning, the question arises if a new concept of a special AAC online platform in Germany is an option for basic and advanced trainings. Especially in due of the effects of the Covid19 pandemic and the associated shift to online offers. The results of the qualitative content analysis of 40 expert interviews on a possible AAC online platform in Germany show the contrary view of the experts and are reflected on the levels of teachers, learners and in the context of implementation within organisations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (German) Der Professionalisierungsprozess im Bereich der Fort- und Weiterbildungen ist in der Unterstutzten Kommunikation (UK) durch einen Bedarf an Erweiterungen und Neukonzeptionierungen gekennzeichnet. Fachkrafte sind von begrenzten zeitlichen und finanziellen Ressourcen ebenso betroffen wie von einem regionalen Ungleichgewicht im UK-Angebot und einem Mismatching in bestehenden Angebotsstrukturen hinsichtlich ihrer individuellen Bedurfnisse. Dies sind nur einige der Herausforderungen im Qualifizierungsprozess, die durch Fachkrafte in einer aktuellen Untersuchung benannt werden (Burgio, 2020 a). Im Rahmen der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung und des damit verbundenen mediengestutzten Lernens stellt sich die Frage, inwieweit ein neues Angebotskonzept in Form einer reinen Onlineplattform UK als Fort- und Weiterbildungsoption gewissen Herausforderungen - insbesondere auch mit Blick auf die Auswirkungen der Covid-19-Pandemie und der damit verbundenen Schwerpunktverlagerung auf digitale Angebote-begegnen kann. Die Ergebnisse der qualitativ inhaltsanalytischen Auswertung von 40 Expert / inneninterviews aus vorschulischen Handlungsfeldern zu einer moglichen Onlineplattform UK offenbaren die Heterogenitat der Sichtweisen der Fachkrafte und werden auf den Ebenen der Lehrenden und der Lernenden sowie im Kontext der Implementierungsmoglichkeiten innerhalb von Organisationen reflektiert. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Emergency Remote Education: Report of an Experience in the License Career in Tourism Ifsp - Cubatao Campus

The global public health emergency has affected and presented challenges in different dimensions of society. This research is qualitative with the use of interpretive structures that address the meanings that individuals attribute to a social issue, with predominantly exploratory and descriptive data, within the criteria of ethics, validity, and scientific reliability. It aims to understand the perception of learning that occurred in the transition from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching of the Bachelor of Tourism, from the perspective of student actors, to understand the less visible perceptions of learning and at the same time characterize challenges during this process by a student. This research contributed to the dissemination of didactic-pedagogical changes introduced during the pandemic crisis and students' perceptions of new adaptations and challenges, providing a reflection on the teaching-learning process to improve impact and pedagogical understanding without renouncing equity and inclusion.

Remote Leadership: A (Re)qualification of School Leaders in Portugal

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about new challenges to schools' organization leaderships and to school leaders. This study, of qualitative nature, aims at understanding the impact occurred in the area of school management, in pandemic times, from the leaders' perspective, in Portugal. The investigation question is: what prevailed during the remote school management of the leader's team amidst the COVID-19 pandemic time? The sample is a video, with 2 min and 47 s, done by the Leader of a Cluster of Schools, in the North of Portugal, within the context of activities related to affection, promoted by the group of Schools' Libraries, entitled "Month of Affections”, when COVID-19 lockdown was mandatory. The content analysis was done using the webQDA® software. All ethical rules were accounted for. The main results are: (i) adaptation and remote management;(ii) challenges to leadership and (iii) vision for the future. It was concluded that, due to the mandatory social distance, the Leader chose for an active and creative virtual presence (re)qualifying his leadership. The concept of this remote leadership kept the organizational balance, leading his co-workers to achieve the defined objectives. The remote leadership will have to be a dialogical field in the Public Policies of the Ministry of Education and Science in Portugal. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

A FluoroSpot B assay for the detection of IgA and IgG SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific memory B cells: Optimization and qualification for use in COVID-19 vaccine trials.

BACKGROUND: The generation of antigen-specific memory B cells is crucial to the long-term effectiveness of vaccines. When the protective antibodies circulating in the blood wane, memory B cells (MBC) can be rapidly reactivated and differentiated into antibody-secreting cells during a new infection. Such MBC responses are considered to be key in providing long-term protection after infection or vaccination. Here, we describe the optimization and qualification of a FluoroSpot assay to measure MBCs directed against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the peripheral blood, for use in COVID-19 vaccine trials. METHODS: We developed a FluoroSpot assay enabling simultaneous enumeration of B cells secreting IgA or IgG spike-specific antibodies after polyclonal stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with interleukin-2 and the toll-like receptor agonist R848 for 5 days. The antigen coating was optimized using a capture antibody directed against the spike subunit-2 glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 to immobilize recombinant trimeric spike protein onto the membrane. RESULTS: Compared to a direct spike protein coating, the addition of a capture antibody increased the number and the quality of detected spots for both spike-specific IgA and IgG secreting cells in PBMCs from COVID-19 convalescents. The qualification showed good sensitivity of the dual-color IgA-IgG FluoroSpot assay, with lower limits of quantitation of 18 background-subtracted (BS) antibody-secreting cells (ASCs)/well for spike-specific IgA and IgG responses. Linearity was demonstrated at values ranging from 18 to 73 and from 18 to 607 BS ASCs/well for spike-specific IgA and IgG, respectively, as was precision, with intermediate precision (percentage geometric coefficients of variation) of 12% and 26% for the proportion of spike-specific IgA and IgG MBCs (ratio specific/total IgA or Ig). The assay was specific, since no spike-specific MBCs were detected in PBMCs from pre-pandemic samples; the results were below the limit of detection of 17 BS ASCs/well. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the dual-color IgA-IgG FluoroSpot provides a sensitive, specific, linear, and precise tool to detect spike-specific MBC responses. This MBC FluoroSpot assay is a method of choice for monitoring spike-specific IgA and IgG MBC responses induced by COVID-19 candidate vaccines in clinical trials.

TRAINING OF ANDRAGOGES FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS USING DISTANCE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES br

The article updates the issue of continuous training of andragogues(specialists in the field of adult education) to perform professional functions by means of distance learning technologies in the conditions of domestic educational reforms, digital transformation of education, the global pandemic of Covid-19 and the declaration of martial law in Ukraine. The areas of use of information and communication technologies in the process of professional development are summarized, the study of frameworks and standards of digital competence of teachers in Ukraine and the world isanalyzed. In order to determine the functions of andragogues on the use of information and communication technologies in the conditions of open education, the main categories of andragogues of the professional development system have been singled out. Theresearch in the field of psychological and andragogical features of the training of pedagogical workers in the process of professional development has been analyzed. The functions of andragogues and their role in the organization of the educational process by means of distance technologies were defined. The model andresults of the experiment on the development of information and communication competence of methodologists of regional services as one of the categories of andragogues are highlighted. The pro cess of training andragogues at the next stage - methodologists and teachers of institutions of post-graduate pedagogical education, as well as teacher trainers on the implementation of the State Standard of Basic Secondary Education - is described. Subjects of trainings, which were used to provide scientific and methodological support to andragogues, distance learning technologies used during classes, exercises for formative assessment and ensuring interactive interaction of training participants, materials of the author's You Tube channel "ICT in Education" are proposed. It is concluded that the readiness of andragogues to use distance learning technologies largely depends on the activities of post-graduate education institutions, academies of continuous development, therefore scientific and methodological support of andragogues should be continuous and meet the requirements of educational reforms and digital transformation of education. The authors see prospects for further research in the continued training of certain categories of andragogues, in particular in establishing partnerships with employees of centers for professional development of teachers on the development of their digital competence;implementation of continuous training of teacher-trainers, development of their skills of working with adult students online;training of teachers of postgraduate education institutions to create high-quality digital content for distance learning courses and trainings

A Comparison of Income Support Measures in the Netherlands for Employees and Independent Workers During the Covid Crisis

Since the nineties a non-protective policy in the Netherlands stimulated to work as an independent contractor. This resulted in huge numbers of bogus self-employed, because compared to employees they were much cheaper to contract. Since 2012 the intention was spoken out to limit these numbers, but an effective remedy has not yet been developed. During the Covid pandemic, massive financial aid was given to companies, independent workers and employees. This helped to limit the level of unemployment and bankruptcies, but the number of independent workers is still growing. So the financial aid given during the pandemic has not helped to bring bogus self-employed under the scope of the employment agreement. © 2022 Kluwer Law International BV, The Netherlands

How COVID-19 Outbreak Influenced Transplantation in Poland.

Announced by the World Health Organization in early 2020, the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infections has had a huge impact on healthcare systems around the world. Local and international authorities focused on implementing procedures to safeguard the health of the population. All regular daily activities were disrupted. Similar factors related to the global fight against the COVID-19 epidemic also had a large impact on transplantation activity. In this article, the authors present the number of patients qualified for transplantation, transplanted and waiting on the waiting list in Poland during the 2-year period of the pandemic. In the first year of the epidemic (2020), all transplantation figures dropped drastically, by as much as 20-30% compared with 2019. The most disturbing fact is that the number of transplants performed in 2022 is still lower than before the outbreak of the epidemic (2019 and earlier).

MAPPING COMPETENCIES TO CYBERSECURITY WORK ROLES

The increase of dependence on digital services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the general need to eff ectively address the long-term perceived cybersecurity expertise gap. One of the instruments that allow better coordination and optimisation of eff orts towards expedient and meaningful cybersecurity training and innovation is an alignment of perspectives on the competency requirements associated with the sought-after cybersecurity experts. To this goal, our research team is developing a cybersecurity qualifications framework modelled on the US-focused NICE framework. In this contribution, we present our progress in mapping the expected competencies to the defined work roles. © 2022 Editions Weblaw. All rights reserved.

Complex Skills Development through Digital Qualification Assessment: Survey Study for European and Oriental Languages Programs

The workflow of the university summative assessment process was significantly disrupted in the year 2020 by the global pandemic and quarantine measures. Qualification assessment for university Foreign Languages programs, as a complex framework procedure (exams, final project presentation, review, appeal), was fully transformed into the digital format. The study discloses the context and models of the transformation of complex skillsets, necessary for the COVID-19 emergency education measures. The study is based on the identification of various complex competency principles, derivative of 21st-century skills for university education stakeholders, and projected digital literacy requirements. Correspondence between the 21st-century skills framework, Competences 2020 framework, and Global Skills 2025 framework is estimated through the revised Bloom's taxonomy of educational goals. The study objective is to analyse the case of complex skills application for Digital Final Qualification Assessment at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine (European and Oriental Languages programs), conducted in the timeframe of the first-wave 2020 quarantine. The inquiry results disclose and measure the efficiency of complex soft skills and corresponding digital skills, necessary for a successful Final qualification assessment procedure.

The Impact of Blockchain Application on the Qualification Rate and Circulation Efficiency of Agricultural Products: A Simulation Analysis with Agent-Based Modelling.

In the context of COVID-19, the circulation of agricultural products is increasingly important for the nutrition and health of people. With the changing needs of society and the advancement of technology, the agricultural product circulation system needs to undergo corresponding changes to adapt to the modern fast-paced social system. Blockchain technology couples with the circulation of agricultural products, as its technical features, such as immutability and a distributed ledger database, ensures the speed and stability of the key information circulation process of agricultural products. The research goal of this paper was to clarify the influence of blockchain technology on the qualification rate and circulation efficiency for agricultural products. Based on the main characteristics of blockchain technology and a summary of domestic and foreign theoretical research, this paper simulated the impacts of blockchain technology on the agricultural product circulation system. The results revealed that blockchain technology can improve the qualification rate of agricultural products and thereby ensure their quality and safety. The introduction of blockchain increased the qualification rate by nearly 30%. Moreover, blockchain technology significantly enhanced the efficiency of the agricultural product circulation system, thereby greatly promoting economic benefits. The introduction of blockchain increased circulation efficiency by nearly 15%. Finally, the introduction of blockchain technology can effectively promote the governance level and reduce the supervision costs of the agricultural product circulation system. Through simulation analysis, we found that blockchain technology has a positive impact on both the qualification rate and circulation efficiency for agricultural products. These findings enrich research into the application of blockchain technology in the management and circulation of modern agricultural products.

A comparison of food safety conformity between cattle and pig slaughterhouses

The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the level of conformity with food safety requirements in cattle and pig slaughterhouses in the qualification procedure of beef and pork suppliers to a large-scale meat processing plant. Seventy-two slaughterhouses supplying beef and pork to the meat processing plant were audited. The audits were carried out in 2019–2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the evaluated slaughterhouses met the audit requirements, but 10% were not qualified. There were two and half times more disqualified pig slaughterhouses than cattle ones. Large-sized slaughterhouses were scored significantly better than the medium-sized ones. The results made it possible to identify areas requiring urgent improvement in slaughterhouses, especially in the case of food safety/HACCP and non-conformities control, site hygiene, and pest control. Significantly more complete fulfillment of the requirements was found in cattle than in pig slaughterhouses. The highest differences between cattle and pig slaughterhouses were found in the area of site hygiene, pest control, and production process criteria. The highest scored criterion for both types of slaughterhouse was SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 issues. This indicates that prevention spreading of COVID-19 in the work environment was highly ensured.

The Effect of Feedforward Nursing Quality Management Control on the Sterilization Qualification Rate and Nosocomial Infection Rate

To study the effect of feedforward nursing quality management control in the disinfection supply room in improving the sterilization qualification rate and reducing the nosocomial infection rate under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),the feedforward control of nursing quality management in disinfection supply room were implemented when the COVID-19 occurred.Through the summary analysis of nursing quality factors in disinfection supply room and the analysis of the reasons for nursing quality,the feedforward control management scheme in disinfection supply room was established.Moreover,the qualified rate of sterilization and nosocomial infection rate before and after the implementation of feedforward control of nursing quality management in disinfection supply room were counted respectively.Furthermore,the self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the satisfaction of clinical medical staff on the use of device before and after the implementation of feedforward control of nursing quality management in disinfection supply room.In that case,the effect of feedforward control of nursing quality management in disinfection supply room was evaluated.The qualification rate of device sterilization,the nosocomial infection rate and the satisfaction rate of clinical medical staff were 95.20%,4.20% and 83.00%,respectively,before the implementation of feedforward nursing quality management control in disinfection supply room.While,the qualification rate of device sterilization,the nosocomial infection rate and the satisfaction rate of clinical medical staff were changed to 99.10%,0.40% and 98.00%,respectively,after the implementation of feedforward nursing quality management control in disinfection supply room,which have statistical differences (P<0.05).The application of feedforward nursing quality management control in the disinfection supply room under the COVID-19 could effectively prevent the spread of the virus through non-disposable medical devices in hospitals,increase the qualification rate of device sterilization,reduce the nosocomial infection rate,and improve the satisfaction of clinical care staff. © 2021, Editorial Board of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. All right reserved.

Upstream cell culture process characterization and in-process control strategy development at pandemic speed.

As of early 2022, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a substantial global health concern. Different treatments for COVID-19, such as anti-COVID-19 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), have been developed under tight timelines. Not only mAb product and clinical development but also chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) process development at pandemic speed are required to address this highly unmet patient need. CMC development consists of early- and late-stage process development to ensure sufficient mAb manufacturing yield and consistent product quality for patient safety and efficacy. Here, we report a case study of late-stage cell culture process development at pandemic speed for mAb1 and mAb2 production as a combination therapy for a highly unmet patient treatment. We completed late-stage cell culture process characterization (PC) within approximately 4 months from the cell culture process definition to the initiation of the manufacturing process performance qualification (PPQ) campaign for mAb1 and mAb2, in comparison to a standard one-year PC timeline. Different strategies were presented in detail at different PC steps, i.e., pre-PC risk assessment, scale-down model development and qualification, formal PC experiments, and in-process control strategy development for a successful PPQ campaign that did not sacrifice quality. The strategies we present may be applied to accelerate late-stage process development for other biologics to reduce timelines.

Cooperative education during Covid-19 pandemic: enhancing legal rights and professional development of interns in Thailand

Purpose>The study aims at enriching the existing cooperative education sector in Thailand. Adequate cooperative education has direct impacts upon graduates’ future professional development, employability and enhanced professional skills. The cooperative education framework in Thailand is relatively a recent concept and lacks detailed research.Design/methodology/approach>The methodology adopted in this study is mixed-method, inclusive of qualitative methodology where data were collected through key informant interviews and;quantitative methodology involving survey questionnaires with a sample of 350 respondents. The data analysis included the quantitative analysis with Chi-square and excerpts from the key informant interview respondents. Additional strength, weakness, opportunity and threat analysis is performed to provide for gaps at various levels of cooperative education and the potential opportunities to the graduates in Thailand.Findings>The findings depict a lack of legal framework for effective skill development, uncertain moral and physical security of the interns and absence of legal rights for interns, minimal support and assistance from the government sector, reduced future employability and insufficient financial resources among poorer students.Research limitations/implications>Lack of student and cooperative database with the government departments.Practical implications>The Thai Qualification Framework has been adopted in a majority of universities, however, the quality assurance does not cover the student’s perspectives, financial and social limitations towards attending the cooperative education.Social implications>With enhanced vulnerabilities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, adverse impacts are analysed and recommendations are provided for enhancing cooperative education opportunities towards students.Originality/value>This research aims to understand the perspectives of the students who graduated with cooperative education and are currently working professionals.

Translation and Interpreting Studies education in the midst of platform capitalism

In this study, we examine how TIS education unfolds within an all-encompassing digital education context that has been dramatically intensified by the sudden switch over to online-only instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic in major universities in Turkey. We surveyed 17 instructors (four were later interviewed) and 46 undergraduate students in order to find out how pedagogical relationships are impacted by the online-only distance education modalities. The disruptive effects as well as emancipatory potentials of these changes for TIS pedagogy were probed. In addressing these issues, the conceptual framework of the threefold division of educational purposes into qualification, socialisation, and subjectification was deployed. The analysis of our data suggests a lack of concerted attempts to address subjectification as a central issue in the online-only learning environment in TIS education. Both instructors and students have concerns regarding the domain of subjectification. Yet, instructors seem mostly focused on qualification- and socialisation-related issues rather than the needs of their students in terms of their subjectification. In this context, the so-called platform capitalism promotes pedagogical relationships that are not conducive to fostering the domain of subjectification and therefore poses a risk to the development of students' personal and professional identity. © 2021 University of Roehampton. All rights reserved.

Impact of justice-related dispositions on support for cyber vigilantism: The mediating effect of perceived severity of transgression

The prevalence of cyber vigilantism during this COVID-19 pandemic is an imminent issue that warrants our attention. However, there is a dearth of research regarding cyber vigilantism, especially from a personality perspective. Therefore, the current study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of justice-related dispositions such as legal authoritarianism and observer sensitivity on support for cyber vigilantism. Additionally, perceived severity of transgression was examined as a potential mediator. A total of 647 Singaporean participants (M-age = 23.16 years, SDage = 4.97) completed an anonymous online survey. Mediation analysis revealed an indirect effect: Perceived severity of transgression served as a mediator in the path between justice-related dispositions (i.e. legal authoritarianism and observer sensitivity) and support for cyber vigilantism, whereas there was no significant direct effect of justice-related dispositions on support for cyber vigilantism. The overall model predicted support for cyber vigilantism modestly, accounting for approximately three per cent of the variance. Findings of this study have theoretical implications that may be beneficial for both academics and law enforcement.

Manufacturing for the Masses: A Novel Concept for Consumer 3D Printer Networks in the Context of Crisis Relief

Local or national crises, such as natural disasters, major infrastructure failures, and pandemics, pose dire threats to manufacturing. The concept of a rideshare‐like distributed network of consumer‐type 3D printers is proposed to address the limited ability of the industrial base to quickly respond to abrupt changes in critical product demand or to disruptions in manufacturing and supply‐chain capacity. The technical challenges that prevent the implementation of such a network are discussed, including 1) remote qualification of 3D printers, 2) dynamic routing algorithms with reactive and predictive components, which take advantage of real‐time information about current events that may affect the network, and 3) performance evaluation of the network. Furthermore, a cyber‐infrastructure that enables autonomous operation and reconfiguration of the network to render it “crisis‐proof” by minimizing human involvement is introduced. The concept of a distributed network of consumer‐type 3D printers allows anyone with a 3D printer and access to the internet to manufacture critical supplies, triggered by actual and predicted customer demand. Beyond crisis relief, distributed networks of manufacturing assets have broad relevance, and they can establish a virtual marketplace to exchange manufacturing capacity. Thus, this future manufacturing platform has the potential to transform how to manufacture for the masses.

Implementation of Blended Learning based Leseverstehen Teaching Materials in Germany Students of KKNI

The research background began with Indonesian students learning German who were less motivated in learning. This study aims to apply the effectiveness of Corel Video Studio learning media in Leseverstehen learning. The Leseverstehen course is one of the reading skills-oriented courses that must be mastered in German. In this course, students are required to make KKNI assignments. The purpose of further research is to develop the abilities of students in a learning process. The method used is quantitative descriptive, namely by using the Corel Studio video application in which there are various interesting themes from various activities. The results show that there is a significant increase in learning outcomes using Corel Video Studio in Leseverstehen learning. This study limits the study of skills to interest in learning and reading for foreign language learners. This research is urgent and important to carry out during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Qualification of ELISA and neutralization methodologies to measure SARS-CoV-2 humoral immunity using human clinical samples.

In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic many vaccines have been developed and evaluated in human clinical trials. The humoral immune response magnitude, composition and efficacy of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 are essential endpoints for these trials. Robust assays that are reproducibly precise, linear, and specific for SARS-CoV-2 antigens would be beneficial for the vaccine pipeline. In this work we describe the methodologies and clinical qualification of three SARS-CoV-2 endpoint assays. We developed and qualified Endpoint titer ELISAs for total IgG, IgG1, IgG3, IgG4, IgM and IgA to evaluate the magnitude of specific responses to the trimeric spike (S) antigen and total IgG specific to the spike receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. We also qualified a pseudovirus neutralization assay which evaluates functional antibody titers capable of inhibiting the entry and replication of a lentivirus containing the Spike antigen of SARS-CoV-2. To complete the suite of assays we qualified a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) methodology using the 2019-nCoV/USA-WA1/2020 isolate of SARS-CoV-2 to assess neutralizing titers of antibodies in plasma from normal healthy donors and convalescent COVID-19 individuals.