Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects many mammals, and SARS-CoV-2 circulation in nonhuman animals may increase the risk of novel variant emergence. Cats are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and there were cases of virus transmission between cats and humans. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variant infection of cats in an urban setting. We investigated the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variant infections in domestic and community cats in the city of Pittsburgh (n = 272). While no cats tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA, 35 cats (12.86%) tested SARS-CoV-2-antibody-positive. Further, we compared a cat-specific experimental lateral flow assay (eLFA) and species-agnostic surrogate virus neutralization assay (sVNT) for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection in cats (n = 71). The eLFA demonstrated 100% specificity compared to sVNT. The eLFA also showed 100% sensitivity for sera with >90% inhibition and 63.63% sensitivity for sera with 40–89% inhibition in sVNT. Using a variant-specific pseudovirus neutralization assay (pVNT) and antigen cartography, we found the presence of antibodies to pre-Omicron and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. Hence, this approach proves valuable in identifying cat exposure to different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our results highlight the continued exposure of cats to SARS-CoV-2 and warrant coordinated surveillance efforts.

This study presents strategies for teaching highland Afro-Ecuadorian culture and for broaching the topic of race and racism through the documentary film Más allá del fútbol . Produced in 2008 by the author, this film explores afrochoteño identity and culture as well as the issues of race and racism in Ecuador through a discussion of bomba , a genre of song and dance. The film’s narrative and discourse speaks to the current afrochoteño struggle for social equity and also indexes recent shifts in perceptions and representations of national and ethnic identity in Ecuador. As such, Más allá del fútbol provides educators an opportunity to go beyond grammatical structures and to address not only Afro-Ecuadorian history and culture, but also relevant social, cultural, and political issues. The instructional strategies presented therefore attend to the film’s context, content, and discourse through a variety of critical and reflexive assignments and activities, including readings, viewing guides, journaling, songwriting, dance, and discussion. These activities allow students to reflect on the epistemological value of such oral and embodied traditions as music and dance. Taught in this way, Más allá del fútbol advances the goals of translingual and transcultural competence.

Though intercultural competence (ICC), community service learning (CSL), languages for specific purposes (LSP), and heritage learners (HLs) have respectively received increasing attention by language scholars within the previous twenty years, much remains to be done in the way of research concerning the relationship between them. The term HLs is used by academics in the United States in reference to students with previous knowledge of the target language and culture as a result of their cultural heritage and upbringing. This article considers the relevance of CSL to HL intercultural competence through a discussion of a 2015 community service learning project and study titled Creating Communities, Engaged Scholarship (CruCES). The project involved students and faculty from the University of Memphis, local non-profit organizations, and community members from the linguistically and ethnically diverse neighborhood of West Binghampton in Memphis, Tennessee (USA). CruCES sought to build capacity and foster community through the development of sustainable micro-economy projects centered on the arts. During the project, students also participated in a study on ISD. This paper considers the implications of the study's findings for HLs specifically. In total, eight of the fifteen participating students self-identified as HLs. The CruCES project outcomes and study data for participating HLs are most telling with regards to their unique subjective positioning and language learning. Specifically, the study found that participating HLs demonstrated a higher degree of cultural sensitivity at the outset of the project and experienced an increase in self confidence and self-esteem related to the purposeful application of their language skills. A transformational experience for many of the HLs, the CruCES study findings hold significant implications for the development and integration of CSL in LSP courses and HL education.

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