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Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25[OH]D₃) levels and other parameters of vitamin D nutriture were examined in 58 subjects aged 70 or more, living in Jerusalem. They were compared with those of 54 young adults living in the same neighbourhood. No evidence was obtained of a lower level of vitamin D nutriture in the elderly compared to younger adults. Serum 25(OH)D₃ of the elderly adults was 18.4 (SEM: 1.4) ng/ml and in the younger adults, 17.8 (1.0) ng/ml. There was no seasonal variation in serum 25(OH)D₃, nor could a strong association be found between reported vitamin D intake nor with exposure to sunshine. There was a negative correlation between serum alkaline phosphatase and the calcium-phosphorus product in serum. High values of alkaline phosphatase were associated with reported low exposure to sunlight and, in elderly persons, with a reported low consumption of vitamin D.

Developing academic literacy skills in Classical Arabic (L1), Hebrew (L2) and English (FL) among 10th-grade Bedouin students in Southern Israel is of central importance, in light of the country's policies regarding trilingual education for this sector. This paper presents the findings of research which examined the impact of a teaching model where identical strategies of reading comprehension and writing skills are taught simultaneously by the Arabic, Hebrew and English teachers in order to promote academic mastery in all three languages. The method is based on the theoretical connection between languages relating to literacy and the potential of transfer of strategies between languages, as put forth by Cummins, McLaughlin and Kecses & Papp. It is also based on the perception that the trilingual learning environment is dynamic and allows cross-linguistic interactions. The results show that the programme has significantly contributed to improving the overall level of achievement by the students in all three languages by an average of 15.32% in Arabic, 6.95% in Hebrew and 10.36% in English. The results also point to an improvement in the specific skills tested in the areas of reading comprehension and composition writing in all three languages.

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