Bridging the gap between math and code — Motivation There are many pedagogical resources that explain the theory behind the Cox model. There are also many resources that provide guidance on applying the Cox model using existing statistical software packages for survival analysis. However, there are few sources that bridge the gap between theory and practice by explaining the…

Approaches to rationing in pandemic and non-pandemic scenarios — The NEJM recently published guidelines for healthcare rationing during COVID-19 that center on four values: 1. Maximizing benefit: Save as many lives or life-years as possible. If patient A will survive 3 years after treatment and patient B will survive 5 years after treatment, treat patient B. 2. Promoting and…

Tones are what makes Chinese different (and harder) than most other languages. So how do you practice your tones in the most effective way possible? To improve your tones, you need to build muscle memory in your vocal cords and in your mouth. Just like singers do vocal exercises to…

Most people think that the hardest part about Chinese is learning tones, but in reality, many of the Sounds in pinyin are just as, if not more difficult to perfect then tones. …

Most people think that native speakers are hard to understand because they speak fast. This is true, but it’s not the whole story. Natives do often speak fast, but they also speak with relaxed pronunciation. Relaxed pronunciation is a language learner’s worst nightmare. It’s what makes English speakers pronounce “want…

Most people think that native speakers are hard to understand because they speak fast. This is true, but it’s not the whole story. Natives do often speak fast, but they also speak with relaxed pronunciation. Relaxed pronunciation is a language learner’s worst nightmare. It’s what makes English speakers pronounce “want…

If your main goal is to read or write Chinese, then yes, you definitely have to learn characters. But what if your goal is speaking? Do you really need to learn how to read all of those complicated characters? Just like children learn to speak before they learn to read…

Watching TV or movies is often one of the first ways that people try to learn a new language. But is watching TV the best way to improve your language skills? TV and movies are the pinnacle of authentic native speech-they combine slang, fast back-and-forth dialogues, idiomatic expressions, and poor…

Many people trying to learn a new language believe that immersion-specifically living in a foreign country-is the best way to become fluent. But there are many reasons why living in a foreign country may not make you fluent: 1. You’re not speaking the language enough to build muscle memory …