Nonparametric Nonlinear Cotrending Analysis,With an Application to Interest and Inflation in the United States

Given the assumption that the components of a vector time series are stationary around nonlinear deterministic time trends, nonlinear cotrending is the phenomenon that one or more linear combinations of the time series are stationary around a linear trend or a constant; hence, the series have common nonlinear deterministic time trends. In this article, I develop nonparametric tests for nonlinear cotrending, and I derive nonparametric estimators of the cotrending vectors. I apply this approach to the federal funds rate and the consumer price index inflation rate in the United States, using monthly data, to analyze the price puzzle.     

Geriatric enrichment: guaranteeing a place for aging in the curriculum

Two years ago, the School of Social Work embarked upon a new and challenging initiative to create sustainable structural changes that enrich gerontological learning experiences for all our BSW and MSW students, faculty, fieldwork instructors and community practitioners. We envisioned that participation in this initiative would enable us to expand and embed geriatric content in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, to increase our geriatric fieldwork placement opportunities, to evaluate and enhance our teaching and learning resources on aging, and to develop two new aging specific courses. Having reached our third year of operation, we find ourselves reflecting on what have been our successes, what could we have done differently, and where do we go in the future. This article will describe our process of developing a model of curriculum change that will guarantee a place for aging in both our undergraduate and graduate curricula.