Reactions of in Situ Generated Cyclic Ketene-N,N-,-N,O- and -N,S-Acetals: Acid Catalyzed Olefinations of Bio-Oil

This dissertation research is based on two reactions, including those of cyclic ketene acetals with acid chlorides and acid catalyzed olefination reactions in bio-oil. In first four chapters, reactions of in situ generated cyclic ketene acetals were explored. Highly functionalized heterocycles such as pyrrollo-[1,2-c]imidazolediones, were synthesized in one-pot reactions of 2-alkylimidazoles or 2-methylbenzimidazoles with 1,3-diacid chlorides. Some reactions proceed through in situ generated cyclic-N,N′-ketene acetal intermediates. 2-Alkylimidazoles and 2-methylbenzimidazole can be considered as tridentate nucleophiles in these reactions that can give four consecutive attacks on electrophiles which ultimately generate new heterocycles. Reactions of substituted oxazoles and thiazoles with different acid chlorides in the presence of different bases were explored. Arylvinyl esters of substituted benzoic acids containing substituted oxazoles or thiazoles were formed when aroyl chlorides were used. Most reactions occurred through in situ generated cyclic ketene acetals. Reactions of 2-methylbenzoxazole and 5-phenyl-2-methylbenzoxazole with acid chlorides and base in THF generated a series of ortho-amidoesters. All of these reactions showed that aromatic heterocycles based in situ generated cyclic ketene acetals could be used to make highly functionalized heterocycles under mild conditions. These one-pot reactions generated various heterocycles, which might have useful bioactivities. For example, arylvinyl esters of substituted benzoic acids have been reported to show insecticidal activities. The last two chapters describe the olefinations of bio-oil and model bio-oil compounds using acid catalysts. Two different branched olefins were used, representative of those available at petroleum refineries. Amberlyst-15 and Nafion NR-50 were used as heterogeneous acid catalysts. The acid catalyzed olefination of bio-oil was explored using an excess of 1- octene. Some olefinations were performed in the presence of ethanol. Ethanol was used to make the olefin and bio-oil phases partially miscible. Acid catalyzed olefination of raw bio-oil induced some changes in the resulting bio-oil by generating variety of alcohols, ethers and oligomeric mixtures of the starting olefin. Olefination with excess 1-octene showed the decrease of the water content and the acid value and increase of the heating value of the bio-oil. Thus, the acid catalyzed olefination of bio-oil can be considered as a potential bio-oil upgrading technique

Classroom and Behavioral Management of Students Who Are At-Risk

The objective of this presentation is to examine and quantify, via a meta-analysis, the results of single-case design research (i.e., n = 23 studies) related to classroom and behavioral management of students with behavioral disorders (BD) published from 2000 - 2016. The target audience includes educators and professionals concerned with students who are educationally at-risk and identified with BD

Preventing Violence and Ensuring Safety in North Carolina Schools: A Statewide Analysis

The objective of this presentation is to discuss a study related to the occurrence of 16 types of school crime and violence in traditional and charter schools in North Carolina. Results showed that charter schools were significantly lower in school crime and violence versus traditional public schools. The target audience includes educators and professionals concerned with school safety

Self-reported social and personal experiences of adolescents with ADHD

In the predominantly sociometric approach used to investigate the social and personal experience of adolescents with ADHD, teachers, parents, peers, or observers rate their perception of the social relationships experienced by the adolescent with ADHD. The adolescent's subjective perspective of his or her situation has been largely ignored. The present study examined self-reported peer rejection, peer-related loneliness, coping "strength", and interpersonal concerns experienced by 84 adolescents: 22 with ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type (ADHD-PI), 19 with ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive Type (ADHD-PHI), and 43 nondisordered adolescents. The adolescents, from southwest Sydney, attended mainstream schools. Adolescents with ADHD-PI reported significantly less manageability and less concern about others' feelings and about relationships with others than did nondisordered adolescents. Adolescents with either ADHD-PI or ADHD-PHI reported significantly less global sense of coherence and significantly more peer-related loneliness than did nondisordered adolescents. No significant difference was reported between the adolescent groups on measures of comprehensibility, meaningfulness, and concern about being rejected and humiliated. These contrasting self-reported profiles of the social and personal experience of adolescents with ADHD and nondisordered adolescents have implications for researchers and practitioners

International Research on the Foci and Effectiveness of Classroom Management Programs and Strategies

This chapter presents an up-to-date overview of recent classroom management intervention studies, incorporating studies evaluating the effectiveness of classroom management programs and of multimodal social-emotional learning programs in which relevant classroom management elements were included. The scoping review builds on the meta-analysis of Korpershoek et al. (2016), which included studies published up until 2014. With ever-changing educational practices and contexts, replication studies are necessary to further improve implementation quality and to confirm effects in other student samples. The literature search revealed 18 new classroom management intervention studies that met our inclusion criteria. The included studies confirm that whole-classroom interventions can significantly improve student behavior, social-emotional functioning, and academic performance, as well as improve teacher-student relationships. The newly published studies do show a slight shift in focus of the intervention content, with increased attention for developing positive teacher-student relationships. This chapter provides new insights into the current state and development of international research on the effectiveness of classroom management strategies and programs. This overview may help education administrators and school teams to compare different types of programs and make an evidence-informed decision about which program would fit the local context and the objectives the school is striving to reach