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This study examines the languages attitudes surrounding the standard (Academic Guaraní) and vernacular (Jopará) varieties of Guaraní, as well as the reported language use for Spanish and the two varieties of Guaraní. The study addresses language attitudes as manifestations of pride, loyalty, and prestige and reported language usage characteristic of a dichotomy between high and low varieties (e.g. Loureiro-Rodríguez, 2008) in order to determine if similar language attitudes and linguistic norms are evident in this community. A survey was used to gather data from 10 students and 10 teachers who live and work in Altos de La Cordillera (a small town with rural and urban features). Contrary to the findings of previous research studies on the language attitudes associated with high and low varieties (e.g. Garrett, 2001), the participants of this study appear to show an all-round favorability for the standard variety of Guaraní (Academic Guaraní). Furthermore, the reported language use of Spanish, Jopará, and Academic Guaraní does not seem to provide evidence for a Spanish/Guaraní diglossia in this community nor does there appear to be a dichotomy between the high and low varieties of Guaraní such as what has historically existed between Spanish and Guaraní. The participants' language attitudes and patterns of reported language use are interpreted in relation to notions of solidarity, superiority, accommodation, and the relationship between adolescence and identity formation. / Master of Arts / This study examines the languages attitudes surrounding the variety of Guaraní taught in school (Academic Guaraní) and the primarily oral variety of Guaraní (Jopará) historically spoken at home or in private contexts. It also examines the reported language use for Spanish and the two varieties of Guaraní. The study addresses language attitudes as manifestations of pride, loyalty, and prestige and reported language usage characteristic of multilingual communities in order to determine if similar language attitudes and linguistic norms are evident in this community. A survey was used to gather data from 10 students and 10 teachers who live and work in Altos de La Cordillera (a small town with rural and urban characteristics). The participants of this study appear to show an all-round favorability for the standard variety of Guaraní (Academic Guaraní). Furthermore, the reported language use of Spanish, Jopará, and Academic Guaraní does not seem to be connected to the formality or informality of the given situation or context. The participants’ language attitudes and patterns of reported language use are interpreted in reference to inter and intra-group relations and the notion of superiority.

We study Hessenberg varieties in type A via their local defining equations, called patch ideals. We focus on two main classes of Hessenberg varieties: those associated to a regular nilpotent operator and to those associated to a semisimple operator. In the setting of regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties, which are known to be smooth and irreducible, we determine that their patch ideals are triangular complete intersections, as defined by Da Silva and Harada. For semisimple Hessenberg varieties, we give a partial positive answer to a conjecture of Insko and Precup that a given family of set-theoretic local defining ideals are radical. A regular nilpotent Hessenberg Schubert cell is the intersection of a Schubert cell with a regular nilpotent Hessenberg variety. Following the work of the author with Da Silva, Harada, and Rajchgot, we construct an embedding of the regular nilpotent Hessenberg Schubert cells into the coordinate chart of the regular nilpotent Hessenberg variety corresponding to the longest-word permutation in Bruhat order. This allows us to use work of Da Silva and Harada to conclude that regular nilpotent Hessenberg Schubert cells are also local triangular complete intersections. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Algebraic varieties provide a generalization of curves in the plane, such as parabolas and ellipses. One such family of these varieties are called Hessenberg varieties, and they are known to have connections to other areas of pure and applied mathematics, including to numerical linear algebra, combinatorics, and geometric representation theory. In this thesis, we view Hessenberg varieties as a collection of subvarieties, called coordinate charts, and study the computational geometry of each coordinate chart. Although this is a local approach, we recover global geometric data on Hessenberg varieties. We also provide a partial positive answer to an open question in the area.

Rice production plays an important role in the economy of the Mekong River Delta (MRD), but rice production is endangered by sea-level rise and the associated increased incidence of salinity intrusion. This study examines the diffusion of salt-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) in the MRD that were promoted through Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environment (CURE) activities. Evidence is found of widespread adoption in salinity-prone areas, with CURE related varieties covering 47% of rice area in at least one of two growing seasons surveyed, but that adopting areas are highly clustered. Multivariate analysis reveals that location characteristics associated with high risk of salinity inundation, rather than individual characteristics associated with household risk preferences, explain the observed pattern of adoption in the MRD. In particular, CURE-related varieties are disproportionately likely to be adopted in non-irrigated areas and in irrigated areas that are not protected by salinity barrier gates. The results imply that CURE has effectively targeted unfavorable rice growing environments and that efforts to further diffuse STRVs need to both increase the area of suitability through further varietal adaptation and promote adoption in existing suitable areas by taking advantage of strong neighborhood externalities in household adoption decisions. In terms of varietal performance, inconclusive evidence is found of higher yields of CURE-related varieties in a low-salinity year. Further, any yield gains are more than off-set by lower market prices for CURE-related varieties. / Rice is a staple crop in the Vietnamese diet and one of Vietnam's leading exports. The Mekong River Delta (MRD) accounts for more than 90 percent of rice exports. However, rice production in the MRD is endangered by saltwater intrusion due to rising sea-levels. Farmers have adopted rice varieties that are tolerant to rice to reduce their production risk that were promoted through Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environment (CURE) activities. This study examines the rates of adoption of these CURE-related varieties, the reasons farmers choose CURE-related varieties, and variety performance on farmers' fields. Results from a household-level survey show at 47% of fields in salinity-prone areas of the MRD grow a CURE-related variety in at least one of the areas two main rice-growing seasons. Farmers are particularly likely to adopt CURE-related varieties on fields that are not protected against salinity intrusion by gates. Adoption decisions are also highly correlated with neighbors’ decisions within villages. Finally, CURE- and non-CURE-related varieties yields are similar in a year with low levels of salinity intrusion. But revenues from CURE-related varieties are slightly lower due to their lower market price, suggesting CURE-related varieties are a relatively low-cost insurance policy for MRD rice farmers in salinity-prone areas against future salinity intrusion.

There is growing interest in learning the impacts of agricultural technologies especially in developing economies. Economic analysis may entail assessment of employment and time allocation effects of new technologies. An issue of importance in South Asia is the impacts of technological change on a specific type of occupation: rural non-farm activities. In order to fully understand these effects, the research must integrate gender differences and determine if the results would be similar irrespective of gender. This paper particularly looks at the effects of HYV adoption on time allocation and labor force participation of men and women in non-farm activities. In estimating the effects of HYV adoption on non-farm labor supply, information on the dependent variable, supply of non-farm labor (or the number of days worked while engaged in non-farm labor), is not available for individuals who do not participate in non-farm labor. Hence sample selection or self-selection of individuals occurs. A feasible approach to the problem of sample selection is the use of Heckman's Two Stage Selection Correction Model. Income functions were estimated for males and females while correcting for the sample selection of non-farm wage earners. An enhanced understanding of the conceptual links among HYV adoption, non-farm labor supply, and gender issues is achieved by discussing the Farm Household Model. The constrained maximization which is drawn from the Farm Household Model would bring about demand functions and reduced form functions for adoption and labor supply. The reduced-form equations are estimated at the individual level for the following: adoption of HYV technology in rice cultivation, and non-farm labor supply of both adult males and females. Regression results are presented for both Ordinary least squares (OLS) and Tobit estimates. HYV adoption and non-farm labor supply of men and women are influenced by several factors in Bangladesh. The household characteristics assumed to potentially determine technology adoption and non-farm labor decisions are the following: non-farm wages per month of the males and females, farm size, asset value, ratio of yield per decimal land of high-yielding to traditional variety of rice, HYV yield, local variety yield, and the ratio of variance of yield per decimal land of HYV to traditional or local varieties. The empirical findings suggest that the decision to adopt HYV technology is determined primarily by farm size, value of total assets of the household, ratio of yield per decimal of land of high-yielding to traditional variety of rice, and the ratio of variance of yield per decimal of land of high-yielding to traditional variety of rice. A larger farm size or land owned in decimal unit increases the non-farm labor supply of females, but not of men. HYV yield is significant and positive, while the local variety yield is significant and negative. This means that higher HYV yields increase the supply of non-farm labor of women, while higher local or traditional yields lower women's supply of non-farm labor. / Master of Science

Variety mixtures may lessen competition among plants and reduce effects of stress particularly in environments where resources are limiting. Mixtures of four barley varieties were grown under low input conditions at the Maricopa Agricultural Center. The barley varieties seeded were Barcott, Solum, Solar, and an experimental low input line designated Entry 9. The highest yields were not obtained with mixtures in this experiment, but rather when the varieties were grown alone. Barcott and Entry 9 decreased yield when part of the mixture more than Solum or Solar. When Solum was grown in a mixture rather than alone, test weight and lodging were improved, but yield was decreased.

This work represents the first year of a 3-year testing program to identify low input wheat and barley entries with higher test weight and less lodging than Solum barley. Twenty lines each of barley and wheat were grown at the Maricopa Agricultural Center with one, two, or seven irrigations. Several barley entries yielded similar to Solum but had much higher test weight and less lodging. None of the wheat entries were as productive as Solum with one or two irrigations this year, but several exhibited good yield potential and lodging resistance with seven irrigations.

Small grain varieties are evaluated each year by University of Arizona personnel. The purpose of these tests is to characterize varieties in terms of yield and other attributes. Variety performance varies greatly from year to year and several site-years are necessary to adequately characterize the yield potential of a variety. A summary of small grain variety trials conducted by the University of Arizona can be found online at http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1265.pdf.

This work represents the second year of a 3-year testing program to identify low input wheat and barley entries with higher test weight and less lodging than Solum barley. Twenty lines each of barley and wheat were grown at the Maricopa Agricultural Center with one, two, or seven irrigations. Several barley entries yielded similar to Solum but had higher test weight and less lodging. Several wheat entries exhibited good yield potential and lodging resistance.