MEETINGS FOR OCTOBER

 Departmental meeting with Dean Terry Hickey, Monday, October 11, 1999
at 3:00pm in BAL 236.

 October 15, Friday 2:00pm, Room BAL 233.
      Dr. Kaz Goebel, Marie Curie-Sklodowska University

       "Why and how far Schauder Fixed Point Theorem  
         fails on noncompact sets."
   The well known and very useful Schauder Fixed Point Theorem 
states that each continuous self mapping of a compact convex subset
of a Banach space has a fixed point.  It fails if we skip the assumption
of compactness and consider convex sets which are only  convex closed 
and bounded. There are many open problems and partial results telling 
how far can a self-mapping of such set "move" all the points.  I am going to 
present the problem, give a number of examples and open questions and get the audience aquainted with this field.  The talk is designed for general
audience including students.  Basic knowledge of functional analysis
and metric topology will help.

 October 26, Tuesday 12:30pm, Education 128.
          Dr. P. Bogacki, Old Dominion University

        "Interactive Tutorials and Tests for Calculus"

 October 29, Friday 2:00pm, BAL 209.
       Professor R.J. Carrol
       University Distinguished Professor
       Texas A&M University


 "The Statistical Problem of Relating Nutrient Intake and Disease"


Professor Raymond J. Carroll
University Distinguished Professor
Texas A&M University
and
University of Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT

Most observation studies in nutritional epidemiology attempt to relate
disease and nutrient intakes by measuring the latter using an
instrument called a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).  The FFQ is a
self-report of typical eating patterns and amounts, and is as such
subject to biases and errors of measurement.  Recently, there has been
considerable controversy concerning the existence of a relationship
between total fat intake as measured by the FFQ and breast cancer.  I
will review this controversy and discuss the subtle statistical issues
that arise.  In particular, the issue of whether the FFQ has any
statistical power to detect a fat-breast cancer relationship will be
discussed.  Analyzing the issue inevitably leads to an investigation
of how FFQ's are related to real (usual) intake of a nutrient.  I will
present a simple statistical model that is sufficiently flexible as to
provide a continuum between the extremes of the FFQ being a powerful
instrument and the FFQ being of little value, and I will discuss a new
study which will attempt to resolve between the extremes.


Friday, October 29, 1999
2:00 P.M
Batten Arts and Letters Building, Room 209
Old Dominion University

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS