The conspiracy mentality: its relationship with absurdity and ostracism
Conspiracy theories are generally perceived as irrational, absurd and as having a negative effect on our reputation. Yet some people do not see them as such. This may lead us to wonder why and how an individual would come to believe or support such statements. In this work, the primary goal is to obtain the level of absurdity of various conspiracy theories so that they can be used in experiments designed to test Williams' “Strategic Absurdity Hypothesis”. In addition, this study attempts to demonstrate the link between conspiracy mentality and feelings of ostracism. In this research, I analyzed a group of 47 participants recruited via social networks in May 2023. The survey collected their demographic information, their conspiracy mentality, their feeling of ostracism, their knowledge of conspiracy theories and their perception of absurdity toward them. The results were analyzed using correlations and linear regressions. The results show a negative correlation between conspiracy mentality and the perception of absurdity for most theories. In other words, the higher a participant's conspiracy mentality, the less absurd the theory is perceived to be. Therefore, hypothesis (I) is partially supported. On the other hand, hypothesis (II), which says that ostracism predicts conspiracy mentality, is not supported by the results. These results are in line with Williams' “Strategic Absurdity Hypothesis” and Sterelny's signaling theory, explaining that an individual, by expressing agreement with a conspiracy theory typically perceived as absurd, damages their reputation in the eyes of others to show that they belong to the group. However, for the theories relating to COVID-19 and climate change, the conspiracy mentality does not predict the vision of absurdity, suggesting that their currentness and media coverage influence whether they are used as signals. The literature does not fully agree with our results and still presents very divergent opinions regarding the links between feelings of ostracism and conspiracy mentality. Indeed, it remains difficult to determine whether conspiracy mentality influences ostracism or vice versa. In conclusion, this study provides new ideas for future research on the origins and impact of the conspiracy theories.
Glass Coloring by the production of Colloidal Hydroxide
When doing an experiment to produce colloidal ferric hydroxide, the bottom of the beaker used was colored in yellow-brown with thin film interference. This phenomenon is well-known, but the cause has not been clearly studied. As a result of the research, the coloration on the bottom of the beaker is caused by β-FeOOH forming a thin film which is chemically bonded with Si-OH on the glass surface. Also, the amount of β-FeOOH depends on the number of experiments, the area of the bottom of the beaker, and the concentration of FeCl3 aq. We found that it can be possible to determine the amount of β-FeOOH from the formula m=knsc and the adhesion constant was found to be 6.8✕10-3 (L/m2). In addition, from machine learning we predicted that the thin film thickness becomes thicker as it moves away from the center.
Wetting Tracing Paper—Fiber Porous Media Curling Behavior and Mechanisms
This research presents a novel approach to understanding the curling and uncurling behavior of tracing paper when exposed to water, identifying limitations in traditional diffusion-based models like Fick’s second law. While Fick's model adequately represents the uncurling phase, where water content is stable, it falls short during the curling phase due to its inability to account for dynamic changes in diffusivity. Our study identifies capillary action, modeled through Richards' equation, as the primary mechanism in the curling phase, where diffusivity varies with water content due to capillary-driven water movement through the paper's porous structure. Experimental data align well with the Richards' equation model, highlighting a saturation point where curvature peaks, governed by evaporation's impact on moisture balance. To simulate this phenomenon, we developed a finite difference approximation scheme based on Richards' equation, discretizing the spatial domain for detailed control over moisture dynamics and incorporating the Robin boundary condition with virtual points. This approach, combined with evaporation considerations, produces simulation results consistent with observed data, emphasizing evaporation’s role in steady-state moisture gradients and the subsequent deformation mechanics. Our findings further reveal that factors like paper thickness, temperature, and salt concentration significantly influence curling behavior. We established linear correlations between peak time and thickness reciprocal, as well as between peak curvature and thickness squared, supporting theoretical models. Temperature affects both peak curvature and curling rate due to changes in viscosity and surface tension, and higher temperatures prevent full uncurling due to sustained evaporation effects. Increased salt concentration heightens peak curvature without altering expansion ratio, suggesting additional variables in play.