Browsing by Author "Salgado, Mauricio"

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    Development and Validation of a Method to Evaluate Unpaved Road Condition with Objective Distress Measures
    (NATL ACAD SCIENCES, 2009) Chamorro, Alondra; de Solminihac, Hernan; Salgado, Mauricio; Barrera, Ernesto
    The condition of unpaved roads is commonly assessed by using qualitative distress measures. Some methods do not consistently consider the relative effect of multiple defects on road condition, or their application is limited to the conditions under which they were developed. In 2007, the Ministerio de Obras Publicas of Chile and a private consultant developed the Modelos de Deterioro de Caminos No Pavimentados study. The scope of the study was to gain experience with and understanding of unpaved road behavior. The main goal of the study was to develop and validate a method for evaluating unpaved road condition by using objective measures of distress, drainage, and profile characteristics. The scope was to design a versatile tool that was applicable to any location, followed a simple procedure, and used cost-effective survey techniques. The proposed approach is to define condition models from a questionnaire administered to a professional panel by applying the Delphi method. As a result of the study, equations representing the unpaved condition index (UPCI) and condition limits were developed for unbound gravel, stabilized gravel, and earth roads subject to three climates: dry, Mediterranean, and humid. UPCI equations and condition limits were validated successfully; the method to assess unpaved road conditions was reliable and versatile.
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    Who Differentiates by Skin Color? Status Attributions and Skin Pigmentation in Chile
    (2019) Torres, Fernanda; Salgado, Mauricio; Mackenna, Bernardo; Nunez, Javier
    A growing body of research has shown that phenotypes and skin pigmentation play a fundamental role in stratification dynamics in Latin American countries. However, the relevance of skin color on status attribution for different status groups has been little studied in the region. This article seeks to broaden the research on phenotypic status cues using Chile as a context for analysis - a Latin American country with a narrow although continuous spectrum of skin tones, marked status differences, and a mostly white elite. We draw on status construction theory to hypothesize that skin pigmentation in Chile has become a status cue, although its heuristic relevance could differ across status groups. Using visual stimuli and a repeated measure design, we studied this relationship and tested whether the use of skin pigmentation as a status cue is conditional upon the status of those categorizing others. The results reveal that participants attribute, on average, lower status to others of darker skin. Besides, skin pigmentation has a conditional effect on the social status of participants: whereas skin pigmentation does not work as a status cue for lower status participants, it is an important status marker for the categorizations that middle and especially higher status participants perform. The phenotypic composition of reference groups of low- and highstatus individuals and system justification are discussed as potential explanations for these results.