a simple algorithm for the lexical classification of comparable adjectives

Abstract Lexical classification is one of the most widely investigated fields in (computational) linguistic and Natural language Processing. Adjectives play a significant role both in classification tasks and in applications as sentiment analysis. In this paper a simple algorithm for lexical classification of comparable adjectives, called MORE (coMparable fORm dEtector), is proposed. The algorithm is efficient in time. The method is a specific unsupervised learning technique. Results are verified against a reference standard built from 80 manually annotated lists of adjective. The algorithm exhibits an accuracy of 76%

Protecting the environment: A multi-agent approach to environmental monitoring

In this paper we discuss a transition model from commonly adopted models of data gathering, transfer and management for environmental monitoring towards more sophisticated ones based on Artificial Intelligence and IoT. The transition model is based on the paradigm of multiple agent systems. The adoption of this transition model is motivated by the need to improve effectiveness, efficiency and interoperability of environmental monitoring by simultaneously guaranteeing its sustainability in economic term

Automation of Invoice Processing with ERP Integration Using RPA Tools

In most organizations, invoice processing is still done manually and time-consuming, because many of the invoices still come in paper form or by email. From the moment the invoice enters the organization until it is available in the management software it goes through several steps, such as, scanning, storage, approval and integration into the management software, usually an ERP system, steps that are not automated and must be performed by employees, sometimes typing all the information of the invoice in the ERP system. To automate this process, this paper presents a management information system based on Robotic Process Automation technologies

From narrative descriptions to MedDRA: automagically encoding adverse drug reactions

The collection of narrative spontaneous reports is an irreplaceable source for the prompt detection of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In such task qualified domain experts manually revise a huge amount of narrative descriptions and then encode texts according to MedDRA standard terminology. The manual annotation of narrative documents with medical terminology is a subtle and expensive task, since the number of reports is growing up day-by-day. Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications can support the work of people responsible for pharmacovigilance. Our objective is to develop NLP algorithms and tools for the detection of ADR clinical terminology. Efficient applications can concretely improve the quality of the experts\u2019 revisions. NLP software can quickly analyze narrative texts and offer an encoding (i.e., a list of MedDRA terms) that the expert has to revise and validate. MagiCoder, an NLP algorithm, is proposed for the automatic encoding of free-text descriptions into MedDRA terms. MagiCoder procedure is efficient in terms of computational complexity. We tested MagiCoder through several experiments. In the first one, we tested it on a large dataset of about 4500 manually revised reports, by performing an automated comparison between human and MagiCoder encoding. Moreover, we tested MagiCoder on a set of about 1800 reports, manually revised ex novo by some experts of the domain, who also compared automatic solutions with the gold reference standard. We also provide two initial experiments with reports written in English, giving a first evidence of the robustness of MagiCoder w.r.t. the change of the language. For the current base version of MagiCoder, we measured an average recall and precision of and , respectively. From a practical point of view, MagiCoder reduces the time required for encoding ADR reports. Pharmacologists have only to review and validate the MedDRA terms proposed by the application, instead of choosing the right terms among the 70\u202fK low level terms of MedDRA. Such improvement in the efficiency of pharmacologists\u2019 work has a relevant impact also on the quality of the subsequent data analysis. We developed MagiCoder for the Italian pharmacovigilance language. However, our proposal is based on a general approach, not depending on the considered language nor the term dictionary

Robotic Orocess Automation no reconhecimento, aprovação e integração de faturas

As organizações procuram constantemente a automatização de processos considerados demorados e repetitivos, de modo a libertar os seus colaboradores para tarefas mais importantes. O Robotic Process Automation surge, então, para dar resposta à necessidade das organizações em tornar os processos organizacionais mais eficientes e automatizados. Esta tecnologia auxilia as organizações na prossecução dos seus objetivos de transformação digital. Na maioria das organizações, o processamento de faturas ainda é feito de forma manual e demorada. Desde a entrada da fatura na organização à sua disponibilização no software de gestão, a fatura passa por várias etapas, como, por exemplo, digitalização, armazenamento, aprovação e integração no software de gestão, tipicamente um software ERP. Estas etapas têm, em muitos casos, de ser realizadas pelos colaboradores. No sentido de libertar os colaboradores das organizações da realização destas etapas o projeto apresentado neste trabalho propõe um sistema de informação de gestão para automatizar o processamento das faturas de compra das organizações, baseado em tecnologias de Robotic Process Automation. O sistema desenvolvido automatizou todas as etapas de processamento de faturas acima referidas, sendo capaz de detetar a receção de uma fatura de compra por e-mail, armazenar a mesma num repositório de documentos digitais, extrair os dados da fatura através de um leitor de faturas, enviar pedidos de aprovações relativos à fatura e integrar a mesma, assim que aprovada, no software de gestão da empresa. A principal limitação do sistema desenvolvido, que não era um requisito do presente projeto, é o não reconhecimento automático dos diferentes campos da fatura através, por exemplo, da utilização de técnicas do domínio da inteligência artificial, algo que poderá vir a ser implementado em novas versões do sistema

Análise e proposta de melhoria dos processos críticos num departamento de exportação

Consequência da crescente globalização e aumento da competitividade torna-se imperativo dar resposta às necessidades de diferentes mercados, desenvolvendo uma relação de confiança com os clientes, cada vez mais exigentes. Assim, é crucial que as organizações procurem promover a partilha de conhecimento entre os seus colaboradores através da sistematização de processos alinhados com a estratégia corporativa. O desafio relatado neste documento surge no contexto em que a empresa em estudo, mais concretamente o departamento de exportação, pretende dar resposta à inexistência de alguns processos bem documentados desde a atividade de prospeção e negociação comercial até ao serviço pós-venda. O presente projeto tem como objetivos principais atualizar e disponibilizar toda a documentação, no sentido de promover a rápida e fácil consulta por parte de todos os colaboradores, bem como assegurar que as funções destes estão claramente definidas. Foi utilizada uma metodologia teórica que consistiu no mapeamento inicial do processo através de reuniões com os principais dinamizadores do projeto, identificação continua das oportunidades de melhoria e como atividade final a realização de um ciclo de formações, de forma a garantir que todos têm acesso à mesma informação. Como resultado, obteve-se Instruções de Trabalho, que indicam todas as etapas a operacionalizar no sistema ERP e outra documentação de suporte comercial que permitiram melhorar o desempenho dos colaboradores e assegurar a manutenção e gestão da informação no departamento. Com a implementação deste projeto, a equipa da exportação ganha uma vantagem no sentido de ver documentadas as tarefas associadas aos seus processos e, deste modo, adquirir um maior conhecimento que permita a redução de erros internos. É expectável que seja desencadeada uma melhoria continua no fluxo de informação através de uma interação eficiente com os outros departamentos, assegurando assim o alinhamento e envolvimento das diversas equipas.Because of growing globalization and competitiveness, it becomes imperative to respond to the needs of different markets, developing a trusting relationship with increasingly demanding customers. Thus, it is crucial that organizations seek to promote the sharing of knowledge among their employees through the systematization of processes, aligned with corporate strategy. The challenge reported in this document arises in the context in which the company under study, more specifically the export department, intends to respond to the inexistence of some well-documented processes from the activity of prospecting and commercial negotiation to after-sales service. The main purpose of this project is to update and make available all the documentation, to promote quick and easy consultation by all employees, as well as to ensure that their functions are clearly defined. It was used a methodology that went through a theoretical approach, initial mapping of the process through meetings with the main participants of the project, continuous identification of opportunities for improvement and as a final activity the realization of a cycle of training, so that everyone has access to the same information. As a result, Work Instructions were obtained, which indicate all the steps to be implemented in the ERP system, as well as other commercial support documentation that allowed employees to improve performance and ensure the maintenance and management of the information in the department. With the implementation of this project, the export team gains an advantage in order to see the tasks associated to their processes documented, and thus acquire a greater knowledge that allows the reduction of internal errors. It is expected that a continuous improvement in the flow of information will be triggered, through an efficient interaction with the other departments, thus ensuring the alignment and involvement of the different teams.Mestrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industria

Future paradigms of automated processing of business documents

In this paper we summarize the results obtained so far in the communities interested in the development of automated processing techniques as applied to business documents, and devise a few evolutions that are demanded by the current stage of either those techniques by themselves or by collateral sector advancements. It emerges a clear picture of a field that has put an enormous effort in solving problems that changed a lot during the last 30 years, and is now rapidly evolving to incorporate document processing into workflow management systems on one side and to include features derived by the introduction of cloud computing technologies on the other side. We propose an architectural schema for business document processing that comes from the two above evolution lines

Future paradigms of automated processing of business documents

In this paper we summarize the results obtained so far in the communities interested in the development of automated processing techniques as applied to business documents, and devise a few evolutions that are demanded by the current stage of either those techniques by themselves or by collateral sector advancements. It emerges a clear picture of a field that has put an enormous effort in solving problems that changed a lot during the last 30 years, and is now rapidly evolving to incorporate document processing into workflow management systems on one side and to include features derived by the introduction of cloud computing technologies on the other side. We propose an architectural schema for business document processing that comes from the two above evolution lines