A Splitting Augmented Lagrangian Method for Low Multilinear-Rank Tensor Recovery

This paper studies a recovery task of finding a low multilinear-rank tensor that fulfills some linear constraints in the general settings, which has many applications in computer vision and graphics. This problem is named as the low multilinear-rank tensor recovery problem. The variable splitting technique and convex relaxation technique are used to transform this problem into a tractable constrained optimization problem. Considering the favorable structure of the problem, we develop a splitting augmented Lagrangian method to solve the resulting problem. The proposed algorithm is easily implemented and its convergence can be proved under some conditions. Some preliminary numerical results on randomly generated and real completion problems show that the proposed algorithm is very effective and robust for tackling the low multilinear-rank tensor completion problem

Vision-Based Damage Localization Method for an Autonomous Robotic Laser Cladding Process

Currently, damage identification and localization in remanufacturing is a manual visual task. It is time-consuming, labour-intensive. and can result in an imprecise repair. To mitigate this, an automatic vision-based damage localization method is proposed in this paper that integrates a camera in a robotic laser cladding repair cell. Two case studies analyzing different configurations of Faster Region-based Convolutional neural networks (R-CNN) are performed. This research aims to select the most suitable configuration to localize the wear on damaged fixed bends. Images were collected for testing and training the R-CNN and the results of this study indicated a decreasing trend in training and validation losses and a mean average precision (mAP) of 88.7%

Large Virtual Transboundary Hazardous Waste Flows:The Case of China

The Basel Convention and prior studies mainly focused on the physical transboundary movements of hazardous waste (transporting waste from one region to another for cheaper disposal). Here, we take China, the world’s largest waste producer, as an example and reveal the virtual hazardous waste flows in trade (outsourcing waste by importing waste-intensive products) by developing a multiregional input–output model. Our model characterizes the impact of international trade between China and 140 economies and China’s interprovincial trade on hazardous waste generated by 161,599 Chinese enterprises. We find that, in 2015, virtual hazardous waste flows in China’s trade reached 26.6 million tons (67% of the national total), of which 31% were generated during the production of goods that were ultimately consumed abroad. Trade-related production is much dirtier than locally consumed production, generating 26% more hazardous waste per unit of GDP. Under the impact of virtual flows, 40% of the waste-intensive production and relevant disposal duty is unequally concentrated in three Chinese provinces (including two least-developed ones, Qinghai and Xinjiang). Our findings imply the importance of expanding the scope of transboundary waste regulations and provide a quantitative basis for introducing consumer responsibilities. This may help relieve waste management burdens in less-developed “waste havens”

Large Virtual Transboundary Hazardous Waste Flows: The Case of China

The Basel Convention and prior studies mainly focused on the physical transboundary movements of hazardous waste (transporting waste from one region to another for cheaper disposal). Here, we take China, the world's largest waste producer, as an example and reveal the virtual hazardous waste flows in trade (outsourcing waste by importing waste-intensive products) by developing a multiregional input-output model. Our model characterizes the impact of international trade between China and 140 economies and China's interprovincial trade on hazardous waste generated by 161,599 Chinese enterprises. We find that, in 2015, virtual hazardous waste flows in China's trade reached 26.6 million tons (67% of the national total), of which 31% were generated during the production of goods that were ultimately consumed abroad. Trade-related production is much dirtier than locally consumed production, generating 26% more hazardous waste per unit of GDP. Under the impact of virtual flows, 40% of the waste-intensive production and relevant disposal duty is unequally concentrated in three Chinese provinces (including two least-developed ones, Qinghai and Xinjiang). Our findings imply the importance of expanding the scope of transboundary waste regulations and provide a quantitative basis for introducing consumer responsibilities. This may help relieve waste management burdens in less-developed "waste havens"