Network virtualisation from an operator perspective

Network virtualisation is seen as a promising approach to overcome the so-called “Internet impasse” and bring innovation back into the Internet, by allowing easier migration towards novel networking approaches as well as the coexistence of complementary network architectures on a shared infrastructure in a commercial context. Recently, the interest from the operators and mainstream industry in network virtualisation has grown quite significantly, as the potential benefits of virtualisation became clearer, both from an economical and an operational point of view. In the beginning, the concept has been mainly a research topic and has been materialized in small-scale testbeds and research network environments. This PhD Thesis aims to provide the network operator with a set of mechanisms and algorithms capable of managing and controlling virtual networks. To this end, we propose a framework that aims to allocate, monitor and control virtual resources in a centralized and efficient manner. In order to analyse the performance of the framework, we performed the implementation and evaluation on a small-scale testbed. To enable the operator to make an efficient allocation, in real-time, and on-demand, of virtual networks onto the substrate network, it is proposed a heuristic algorithm to perform the virtual network mapping. For the network operator to obtain the highest profit of the physical network, it is also proposed a mathematical formulation that aims to maximize the number of allocated virtual networks onto the physical network. Since the power consumption of the physical network is very significant in the operating costs, it is important to make the allocation of virtual networks in fewer physical resources and onto physical resources already active. To address this challenge, we propose a mathematical formulation that aims to minimize the energy consumption of the physical network without affecting the efficiency of the allocation of virtual networks. To minimize fragmentation of the physical network while increasing the revenue of the operator, it is extended the initial formulation to contemplate the re-optimization of previously mapped virtual networks, so that the operator has a better use of its physical infrastructure. It is also necessary to address the migration of virtual networks, either for reasons of load balancing or for reasons of imminent failure of physical resources, without affecting the proper functioning of the virtual network. To this end, we propose a method based on cloning techniques to perform the migration of virtual networks across the physical infrastructure, transparently, and without affecting the virtual network. In order to assess the resilience of virtual networks to physical network failures, while obtaining the optimal solution for the migration of virtual networks in case of imminent failure of physical resources, the mathematical formulation is extended to minimize the number of nodes migrated and the relocation of virtual links. In comparison with our optimization proposals, we found out that existing heuristics for mapping virtual networks have a poor performance. We also found that it is possible to minimize the energy consumption without penalizing the efficient allocation. By applying the re-optimization on the virtual networks, it has been shown that it is possible to obtain more free resources as well as having the physical resources better balanced. Finally, it was shown that virtual networks are quite resilient to failures on the physical network.

Digital storytelling: student ID in higher education

Identity achievement is related to personality, as well as cognitive and interpersonal development. In tandem with the deep structural changes that have taken place in society, education must also shift towards a teaching approach focused on learning and the overall development of the student. The integration of technology may be the drive to foster the needed changes. We draw on the literature of multiple subject areas as basis for our work, namely: identity construction and self-representation, within a psychological and social standpoint; Higher Education (HE) in Portugal after Bologna, college student development and other intrinsic relationships, namely the role of emotions and interpersonal relationships in the learning process; the technological evolution of storytelling towards Digital Storytelling (DS) – the Californian model – and its connections to identity and education. Ultimately we propose DS as the aggregator capable of humanizing HE while developing essential skills and competences. Grounded on an interpretative/constructivist paradigm, we implemented a qualitative case study to explore DS in HE. In three attempts to collect student data, we gathered detailed observation notes from two Story Circles; twelve student written reflections; fourteen Digital Stories and detailed observation notes from one Story Show. We carried out three focus groups with teachers where we discussed their perceptions of each student prior to and after watching the Digital Stories, in addition to their opinion on DS in HE as a teaching and learning method and its influence on interpersonal relationships. We sought understandings of the integration of DS to analyze student selfperception and self-representation in HE contexts and intersected our findings with teachers’ perceptions of their students. We compared teachers’ and students’ perspectives, through the analysis of data collected throughout the DS process – Story Circle, Story Creation and Story Show – and triangulated that information with the students’ personal reflections and teacher perceptions. Finally we questioned if and how DS may influence teachers’ perceptions of students. We found participants to be the ultimate gatekeepers in our study. Very few students and teachers voluntarily came forth to take part in the study, confirming the challenge remains in getting participants to see the value and understand the academic rigor of DS. Despite this reluctance, DS proved to be an asset for teachers and students directly and indirectly involved in the study. DS challenges HE contexts, namely teacher established perception of students; student’s own expectations regarding learning in HE; the emotional realm, the private vs. public dichotomy and the shift in educational roles.

Dependable wireless real-time communications for open environments

Wireless communication technologies have become widely adopted, appearing in heterogeneous applications ranging from tracking victims, responders and equipments in disaster scenarios to machine health monitoring in networked manufacturing systems. Very often, applications demand a strictly bounded timing response, which, in distributed systems, is generally highly dependent on the performance of the underlying communication technology. These systems are said to have real-time timeliness requirements since data communication must be conducted within predefined temporal bounds, whose unfulfillment may compromise the correct behavior of the system and cause economic losses or endanger human lives. The potential adoption of wireless technologies for an increasingly broad range of application scenarios has made the operational requirements more complex and heterogeneous than before for wired technologies. On par with this trend, there is an increasing demand for the provision of cost-effective distributed systems with improved deployment, maintenance and adaptation features. These systems tend to require operational flexibility, which can only be ensured if the underlying communication technology provides both time and event triggered data transmission services while supporting on-line, on-the-fly parameter modification. Generally, wireless enabled applications have deployment requirements that can only be addressed through the use of batteries and/or energy harvesting mechanisms for power supply. These applications usually have stringent autonomy requirements and demand a small form factor, which hinders the use of large batteries. As the communication support may represent a significant part of the energy requirements of a station, the use of power-hungry technologies is not adequate. Hence, in such applications, low-range technologies have been widely adopted. In fact, although low range technologies provide smaller data rates, they spend just a fraction of the energy of their higher-power counterparts. The timeliness requirements of data communications, in general, can be met by ensuring the availability of the medium for any station initiating a transmission. In controlled (close) environments this can be guaranteed, as there is a strict regulation of which stations are installed in the area and for which purpose. Nevertheless, in open environments, this is hard to control because no a priori abstract knowledge is available of which stations and technologies may contend for the medium at any given instant. Hence, the support of wireless real-time communications in unmanaged scenarios is a highly challenging task. Wireless low-power technologies have been the focus of a large research effort, for example, in the Wireless Sensor Network domain. Although bringing extended autonomy to battery powered stations, such technologies are known to be negatively influenced by similar technologies contending for the medium and, especially, by technologies using higher power transmissions over the same frequency bands. A frequency band that is becoming increasingly crowded with competing technologies is the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical band, encompassing, for example, Bluetooth and ZigBee, two lowpower communication standards which are the base of several real-time protocols. Although these technologies employ mechanisms to improve their coexistence, they are still vulnerable to transmissions from uncoordinated stations with similar technologies or to higher power technologies such as Wi- Fi, which hinders the support of wireless dependable real-time communications in open environments. The Wireless Flexible Time-Triggered Protocol (WFTT) is a master/multi-slave protocol that builds on the flexibility and timeliness provided by the FTT paradigm and on the deterministic medium capture and maintenance provided by the bandjacking technique. This dissertation presents the WFTT protocol and argues that it allows supporting wireless real-time communication services with high dependability requirements in open environments where multiple contention-based technologies may dispute the medium access. Besides, it claims that it is feasible to provide flexible and timely wireless communications at the same time in open environments. The WFTT protocol was inspired on the FTT paradigm, from which higher layer services such as, for example, admission control has been ported. After realizing that bandjacking was an effective technique to ensure the medium access and maintenance in open environments crowded with contention-based communication technologies, it was recognized that the mechanism could be used to devise a wireless medium access protocol that could bring the features offered by the FTT paradigm to the wireless domain. The performance of the WFTT protocol is reported in this dissertation with a description of the implemented devices, the test-bed and a discussion of the obtained results.

Participação ativa no desenvolvimento de comunidades online

Esta tese tem como objetivos identificar e caraterizar os modos de Comunicação Mediada por Computador (CMC) utilizados nas Comunidades Online (CO), relevantes para a prática de criação visual, contextualizando-os na produção de Type Design (TD). E concetualizar um modelo de CO de prática, desenvolvida segundo uma metodologia participativa, avaliando as estratégias de dinamização e viabilização no contexto nacional. Atualmente, com a disseminação das tecnologias de informação e comunicação a prática de TD, uma atividade isolada e individual, está sujeita a um paradigma de mudança—tornar-se uma atividade de partilha cada vez maior. A investigação dividiu-se em três fases. Na primeira fase procura perceber os modos relevantes de CMC para a prática de TD. Para isso, observa-se as motivações e comportamentos dos utilizadores nestas plataformas, apoiado pela recolha de dados sobre o uso destas plataformas no contexto académico. Juntamente com o desenvolvimento e avaliação de uma experiência preliminar numa plataforma online existente. Na segunda fase, apresenta-se o modelo concetual de uma CO para a produção de TD apoiado na identificação e caraterização das Virtual Community of Practice de TD existentes. E o respetivo desenvolvimento e implementação de um protótipo funcional. Na terceira fase o protótipo foi avaliado recorrendo à participação dos utilizadores—uma amostra de Type Designers profissionais portugueses—no desenvolvimento das estratégias comunitárias segundo uma abordagem participativa de Community-Centered Development. A utilização de um Focus Group de dimensões reduzidas, e as limitações temporais da investigação prática não permitem generalizar os resultados encontrados. No entanto, os resultados revelam que quanto mais específica for a atividade da prática partilhada na CO, mais especializados e restritos devem ser os modos de CMC implementados para a comunicação e interação dos membros online. A integração dos modos de CMC sobre a comunicação assíncrona através de artefactos visuais tem um potencial de comunicação mais eficaz e satisfatório para estes utilizadores. E as barreiras à participação, apesar de poderem ser minimizadas através da inovação nos modos implementados, são um desafio de sociabilização que devem ser geridos, equilibrando a comunicação explícita, os usos, perceções e expectativas dos diferentes papéis dos membros da comunidade.

Seismic vulnerability assessment of slender masonry structures

Slender masonry structures are distributed all over the world and constitute a relevant part of the architectural and cultural heritage of humanity. Their protection against earthquakes is a topic of great concern among the scientific community. This concern mainly arises from the strong damage or complete loss suffered by this group of structures due to catastrophic events and the need and interest to preserve them. Although the great progress in technology, and in the knowledge of seismology and earthquake engineering, the preservation of these brittle and massive structures still represents a major challenge. Based on the research developed in this work it is proposed a methodology for the seismic risk assessment of slender masonry structures. The proposed methodology was applied for the vulnerability assessment of Nepalese Pagoda temples which follow very simple construction procedure and construction detailing in relation to seismic resistance requirements. The work is divided in three main parts. Firstly, particular structural fragilities and building characteristics of the important UNESCO classified Nepalese Pagoda temples which affect their seismic performance and dynamic properties are discussed. In the second part the simplified method proposed for seismic vulnerability assessment of slender masonry structures is presented. Finally, the methodology proposed in this work is applied to study Nepalese Pagoda temples, as well as in the efficiency assessment of seismic performance improvement solution compatible with original cultural and technological value.

Algoritmos inteligentes de baixa complexidade

A domótica é uma área com grande interesse e margem de exploração, que pretende alcançar a gestão automática e autónoma de recursos habitacionais, proporcionando um maior conforto aos utilizadores. Para além disso, cada vez mais se procuram incluir benefícios económicos e ambientais neste conceito, por forma a garantir um futuro sustentável. O aquecimento de água (por meios elétricos) é um dos fatores que mais contribui para o consumo de energia total de uma residência. Neste enquadramento surge o tema “algoritmos inteligentes de baixa complexidade”, com origem numa parceria entre o Departamento de Eletrónica, Telecomunicações e Informática (DETI) da Universidade de Aveiro e a Bosch Termotecnologia SA, que visa o desenvolvimento de algoritmos ditos “inteligentes”, isto é, com alguma capacidade de aprendizagem e funcionamento autónomo. Os algoritmos devem ser adaptados a unidades de processamento de 8 bits para equipar pequenos aparelhos domésticos, mais propriamente tanques de aquecimento elétrico de água. Uma porção do desafio está, por isso, relacionada com as restrições computacionais de microcontroladores de 8 bits. No caso específico deste trabalho, foi determinada a existência de sensores de temperatura da água no tanque como a única fonte de informação externa aos algoritmos, juntamente com parâmetros pré-definidos pelo utilizador que estabelecem os limiares de temperatura máxima e mínima da água. Partindo deste princípio, os algoritmos desenvolvidos baseiam-se no perfil de consumo de água quente, observado ao longo de cada semana, para tentar prever futuras tiragens de água e, consequentemente, agir de forma adequada, adiantando ou adiando o aquecimento da água do tanque. O objetivo é alcançar uma gestão vantajosa entre a economia de energia e o conforto do utilizador (água quente), isto sem que exista necessidade de intervenção direta por parte do utilizador final. A solução prevista inclui também o desenvolvimento de um simulador que permite observar, avaliar e comparar o desempenho dos algoritmos desenvolvidos.

Development of a single photon counting computed tomography system using MPGDs

The development of computed tomography systems with energy resolving detectors is a current challenge in medical physics and biomedical engineering. A computed tomography system of this kind allows getting complementary informations relatively to conventional systems, that can help the medical diagnosis, being of great interest in medicine. The work described in this thesis is related to the development of a computed tomography system using micropattern gaseous detectors, which allow storing, simultaneously, information about the interaction position and the energy of each single photon that interacts with the detector. This kind of detectors has other advantages concerning the cost and characteristics of operation when compared with solid state detectors. Tomographic acquisitions were performed using a MicroHole & Strip Plate based detector, which allowed reconstructing cross-sectional images using energy windows, applying the energy weighting technique and performing multi-slice and tri-dimensional reconstructions. The contrast-to-noise ratio was improved by 31% by applying the energy weighting technique, comparing with the corresponding image obtained with the current medical systems. A prototype of a computed tomography with flexibility to change the detector was developed, making it possible to apply different detectors based on Thick-COBRA. Several images acquired with these detectors are presented and demonstrate their applicability in X-ray imaging. When operating in NeCH4, the detector allowed a charge gain of 8 104, an energy resolution of 20% (full width at half maximum at 8 keV), a count rate of 1 106 Hz/mm2, a very stable operation (gain fluctuations below 5%) and a spacial resolution of 1.2 mm for an energy photon of 3.6 keV. Operating the detector in pure Kr allowed increasing the detection efficiency and achieving a charge gain of 2 104, an energy resolution of 32% (full width at half maximum at 22 keV), a count rate of 1 105 Hz/mm2, very stable operation and a spatial resolution of 500 m. The software already existing in the group was improved and tools to correct geometric misalignments of the system were also developed. The reconstructions obtained after geometrical correction are free of artefacts due to the referred misalignments.

Ferroelectric : CNTs structures fabrication for advanced functional nano devices

This work is about the combination of functional ferroelectric oxides with Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for microelectronic applications, as for example potential 3 Dimensional (3D) Non Volatile Ferroelectric Random Access Memories (NVFeRAM). Miniaturized electronics are ubiquitous now. The drive to downsize electronics has been spurred by needs of more performance into smaller packages at lower costs. But the trend of electronics miniaturization challenges board assembly materials, processes, and reliability. Semiconductor device and integrated circuit technology, coupled with its associated electronic packaging, forms the backbone of high-performance miniaturized electronic systems. However, as size decreases and functionalization increases in the modern electronics further size reduction is getting difficult; below a size limit the signal reliability and device performance deteriorate. Hence miniaturization of siliconbased electronics has limitations. On this background the Road Map for Semiconductor Industry (ITRS) suggests since 2011 alternative technologies, designated as More than Moore; being one of them based on carbon (carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene) [1]. CNTs with their unique performance and three dimensionality at the nano-scale have been regarded as promising elements for miniaturized electronics [2]. CNTs are tubular in geometry and possess a unique set of properties, including ballistic electron transportation and a huge current caring capacity, which make them of great interest for future microelectronics [2]. Indeed CNTs might have a key role in the miniaturization of Non Volatile Ferroelectric Random Access Memories (NVFeRAM). Moving from a traditional two dimensional (2D) design (as is the case of thin films) to a 3D structure (based on a tridimensional arrangement of unidimensional structures) will result in the high reliability and sensing of the signals due to the large contribution from the bottom electrode. One way to achieve this 3D design is by using CNTs. Ferroelectrics (FE) are spontaneously polarized and can have high dielectric constants and interesting pyroelectric, piezoelectric, and electrooptic properties, being a key application of FE electronic memories. However, combining CNTs with FE functional oxides is challenging. It starts with materials compatibility, since crystallization temperature of FE and oxidation temperature of CNTs may overlap. In this case low temperature processing of FE is fundamental. Within this context in this work a systematic study on the fabrication of CNTs - FE structures using low cost low temperature methods was carried out. The FE under study are comprised of lead zirconate titanate (Pb1-xZrxTiO3, PZT), barium titanate (BaTiO3, BT) and bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3, BFO). The various aspects related to the fabrication, such as effect on thermal stability of MWCNTs, FE phase formation in presence of MWCNTs and interfaces between the CNTs/FE are addressed in this work. The ferroelectric response locally measured by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) clearly evidenced that even at low processing temperatures FE on CNTs retain its ferroelectric nature. The work started by verifying the thermal decomposition behavior under different conditions of the multiwall CNTs (MWCNTs) used in this work. It was verified that purified MWCNTs are stable up to 420 ºC in air, as no weight loss occurs under non isothermal conditions, but morphology changes were observed for isothermal conditions at 400 ºC by Raman spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In oxygen-rich atmosphere MWCNTs started to oxidized at 200 ºC. However in argon-rich one and under a high heating rate MWCNTs remain stable up to 1300 ºC with a minimum sublimation. The activation energy for the decomposition of MWCNTs in air was calculated to lie between 80 and 108 kJ/mol. These results are relevant for the fabrication of MWCNTs – FE structures. Indeed we demonstrate that PZT can be deposited by sol gel at low temperatures on MWCNTs. And particularly interesting we prove that MWCNTs decrease the temperature and time for formation of PZT by ~100 ºC commensurate with a decrease in activation energy from 68±15 kJ/mol to 27±2 kJ/mol. As a consequence, monophasic PZT was obtained at 575 ºC for MWCNTs - PZT whereas for pure PZT traces of pyrochlore were still present at 650 ºC, where PZT phase formed due to homogeneous nucleation. The piezoelectric nature of MWCNTs - PZT synthesised at 500 ºC for 1 h was proved by PFM. In the continuation of this work we developed a low cost methodology of coating MWCNTs using a hybrid sol-gel / hydrothermal method. In this case the FE used as a proof of concept was BT. BT is a well-known lead free perovskite used in many microelectronic applications. However, synthesis by solid state reaction is typically performed around 1100 to 1300 ºC what jeopardizes the combination with MWCNTs. We also illustrate the ineffectiveness of conventional hydrothermal synthesis in this process due the formation of carbonates, namely BaCO3. The grown MWCNTs - BT structures are ferroelectric and exhibit an electromechanical response (15 pm/V). These results have broad implications since this strategy can also be extended to other compounds of materials with high crystallization temperatures. In addition the coverage of MWCNTs with FE can be optimized, in this case with non covalent functionalization of the tubes, namely with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). MWCNTs were used as templates to grow, in this case single phase multiferroic BFO nanorods. This work shows that the use of nitric solvent results in severe damages of the MWCNTs layers that results in the early oxidation of the tubes during the annealing treatment. It was also observed that the use of nitric solvent results in the partial filling of MWCNTs with BFO due to the low surface tension (<119 mN/m) of the nitric solution. The opening of the caps and filling of the tubes occurs simultaneously during the refluxing step. Furthermore we verified that MWCNTs have a critical role in the fabrication of monophasic BFO; i.e. the oxidation of CNTs during the annealing process causes an oxygen deficient atmosphere that restrains the formation of Bi2O3 and monophasic BFO can be obtained. The morphology of the obtained BFO nano structures indicates that MWCNTs act as template to grow 1D structure of BFO. Magnetic measurements on these BFO nanostructures revealed a week ferromagnetic hysteresis loop with a coercive field of 956 Oe at 5 K. We also exploited the possible use of vertically-aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes (VA-MWCNTs) as bottom electrodes for microelectronics, for example for memory applications. As a proof of concept BiFeO3 (BFO) films were in-situ deposited on the surface of VA-MWCNTs by RF (Radio Frequency) magnetron sputtering. For in situ deposition temperature of 400 ºC and deposition time up to 2 h, BFO films cover the VA-MWCNTs and no damage occurs either in the film or MWCNTs. In spite of the macroscopic lossy polarization behaviour, the ferroelectric nature, domain structure and switching of these conformal BFO films was verified by PFM. A week ferromagnetic ordering loop was proved for BFO films on VA-MWCNTs having a coercive field of 700 Oe. Our systematic work is a significant step forward in the development of 3D memory cells; it clearly demonstrates that CNTs can be combined with FE oxides and can be used, for example, as the next 3D generation of FERAMs, not excluding however other different applications in microelectronics.

Avanços metodológicos na síntese de novos derivados de flavonas

As estirilflavonas poli-hidroxiladas são compostos heterocíclicos de natureza polifenólica que suscitam interesse devido à atividade biológica que possuem atuando, por exemplo, como antioxidantes. O desenvolvimento de novas rotas de síntese de estirilflavonas constitui um desafio e é neste contexto que se têm efetuado vários estudos sobre a aplicação de reações de acoplamento cruzado catalisadas por paládio, como a reação de Heck, na preparação deste tipo de compostos. Nesta dissertação reporta-se a síntese de (E)-8-estirilflavonas através da reação de Heck de 8-iodoflavonas com derivados de estireno com rendimentos excelentes, descrevendo-se um estudo no qual se optimizaram as condições experimentais desta reação. Adicionalmente, descrevem-se duas tentativas de desmetilação da (E)-8-[2-(4-metoxifenil)vinil]-4’,5,7-trimetoxiflavona. As 8- iodoflavonas foram preparadas com elevada regiosseletividade através da ciclização oxidativa/iodação das (E)-2’-hidroxicalconas correspondentes por aplicação do sistema de reagentes I2/DMSO. A propósito, descreve-se um estudo de ciclização oxidativa/iodação da (E)-2’-hidroxi-4,4’,6’- trimetoxicalcona, no qual se testou a aplicação do sistema de reagentes I2/DMSO na síntese de iodoflavonas em reações one-pot. As (E)-2’- hidroxicalconas foram sintetizadas através da condensação aldólica catalisada por base entre a 2’-hidroxi-4’,6’-dimetoxiacetofenona, previamente preparada, e derivados de benzaldeído. A caraterização estrutural da maioria dos compostos obtidos neste trabalho foi efetuada com base em estudos de espetroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear (RMN), nomeadamente de 1H e 13C, e, sempre que possível, em estudos bidimensionais de correlação espetroscópica heteronuclear (HSQC e HMBC), bem como em estudos de espetrometria de massa (EM).

A computational study of ionic liquids used in the production of fuels and biofuels

For the past decades it has been a worldwide concern to reduce the emission of harmful gases released during the combustion of fossil fuels. This goal has been addressed through the reduction of sulfur-containing compounds, and the replacement of fossil fuels by biofuels, such as bioethanol, produced in large scale from biomass. For this purpose, a new class of solvents, the Ionic Liquids (ILs), has been applied, aiming at developing new processes and replacing common organic solvents in the current processes. ILs can be composed by a large number of different combinations of cations and anions, which confer unique but desired properties to ILs. The ability of fine-tuning the properties of ILs to meet the requirements of a specific application range by mixing different cations and anions arises as the most relevant aspect for rendering ILs so attractive to researchers. Nonetheless, due to the huge number of possible combinations between the ions it is required the use of cheap predictive approaches for anticipating how they will act in a given situation. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a statistical mechanics computational approach, based on Newton’s equations of motion, which can be used to study macroscopic systems at the atomic level, through the prediction of their properties, and other structural information. In the case of ILs, MD simulations have been extensively applied. The slow dynamics associated to ILs constitutes a challenge for their correct description that requires improvements and developments of existent force fields, as well as larger computational efforts (longer times of simulation). The present document reports studies based on MD simulations devoted to disclose the mechanisms of interaction established by ILs in systems representative of fuel and biofuels streams, and at biomass pre-treatment process. Hence, MD simulations were used to evaluate different systems composed of ILs and thiophene, benzene, water, ethanol and also glucose molecules. For the latter molecules, it was carried out a study aiming to ascertain the performance of a recently proposed force field (GROMOS 56ACARBO) to reproduce the dynamic behavior of such molecules in aqueous solution. The results here reported reveal that the interactions established by ILs are dependent on the individual characteristics of each IL. Generally, the polar character of ILs is deterministic in their propensity to interact with the other molecules. Although it is unquestionable the advantage of using MD simulations, it is necessary to recognize the need for improvements and developments of force fields, not only for a successful description of ILs, but also for other relevant compounds such as the carbohydrates.