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Purpose An agile supply chain (SC) is critical in achieving competitive advantages in the vulnerable environment. Based on the competence–capability–performance paradigm, this study aims to investigate how information technology (IT) usage and employee multi-skilling influence internal, supplier and customer agility that are the three dimensions of SC agility. It further explores relationships between SC agility dimensions and SC performance. Design/methodology/approach This study used a survey method to collect primary data and sampled 216 Chinese manufacturing firms in different industries. Construct validity and reliability were confirmed. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Findings The findings indicate that internal agility is the baseline of SC agility, which improves supplier and customer agility. IT usage is more important than employee multi-skilling in facilitating SC agility. The former improves all three dimensions, whereas the latter only improves internal agility. Both internal and supplier agility can improve SC performance, whereas customer agility has no significant effect. Originality/value This study contributes to the SC agility literature in two folds. On the one hand, based on the dynamic capability perspective, this research clarifies three dimensions of SC agility and their interrelationships. On the other hand, integrating competence–capability–performance paradigm with information processing view, this research investigates the antecedent and outcome of SC agility. In addition, to date, this is one of the first studies to simultaneously examine the effect of two critical competencies, namely, IT usage and employee multi-skilling on SC agility.

PurposeThis study looks beyond firm boundaries to depict supply chain (SC) adaptability and classifies it into internal, customer and supplier dimensions to investigate their performance implications, respectively. This study also examines the enablers of SC adaptability based on information processing theory.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the structural equation modeling method to investigate relationships among SC information sharing, SC adaptability and operational performance using data collected from 216 manufacturers in China.FindingsInternal information sharing has a positive impact on three dimensions of SC adaptability, whereas supplier and customer information sharing only have a positive impact on supplier adaptability. Customer and supplier information sharing interact to positively influence the three dimensions of SC adaptability, while internal and customer information sharing interact to negatively affect customer adaptability. We also find that all the three dimensions of SC adaptability can enhance operational performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to providing a holistic definition of SC adaptability and classifies it into three dimensions. It also investigates antecedents and performance outcomes of SC adaptability.

The Back-n white neutron source at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) provides neutrons in the continuous energy region from 0.5 eV to 200 MeV. A spectrometer named Light charged Particle Detector Array (LPDA) is designed for the study of (n, lcp) reactions at Back-n. The main detector of the LPDA spectrometer, a 16-unit ΔE-ΔE-E telescope array, is composed of two arrays of 8-unit ΔE-ΔE-E telescope. Each telescope unit consists of a Low-Pressure Multi-Wire Proportional Chamber (LPMWPC), a Si-PIN detector, and a CsI(Tl) scintillator detector. In 2021, a neutron-proton (n-p) scattering reaction cross-section measurement experiment was accomplished as the first experiment of the telescope array. Protons can be clearly identified in the ΔE-E spectrum (LPMWPC + Si-PIN) and the ΔE-E spectrum (Si-PIN + CsI(Tl)). Cross sections of the n-p scattering reaction in the neutron energy range of several MeV are extracted. The ΔE-E method also provides new measurement opportunities for many-body neutron induced light charged-particle emission reactions.

Despite the importance of supply chain learning for competitiveness, little is known about how to enable such learning. This study empirically investigates the impact of information sharing on diff...

Purpose Despite the recognition that supply chain (SC) learning is important for competitive advantage, little is known how to enable such learning. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of information technology (IT) application on different types of SC learning (i.e. internal, customer and supplier learning) and service performance. Design/methodology/approach This study applies structural equation modeling to test the conceptual model based on data collected from 213 manufacturing firms in China. Findings Although strategic application has a direct and negative relationship with all three dimensions of SC learning, it indirectly and positively improves SC learning through tactical and operational application. The authors observe that tactical application is positively related to all three dimensions of SC learning, while operational application improves internal and customer learning only. The authors also notice that internal and customer learning are positively related to service performance. Research limitations/implications This study classifies IT application into strategic, tactical and operational dimensions, which may not adequately cover the entire set of IT application portfolio. Practical implications The findings suggest managers to use corresponding IT application to improve SC learning and service performance. Originality/value This study provides a new framework to understand the relationships between IT application, SC learning and service performance.

Aluminum and its alloys are widely used in the nuclear industry. Therefore, it is essential to precisely measure and accurately know the neutron total cross section of aluminum in the wider energy region. The measurement is performed by using the transmission method at the Back-n White Neutron Source of CSNS. Two aluminum samples 70 mm in diameter and thicknesses of 40 and 60 mm, respectively, were positioned at 55 m from the neutron source. The transmission detector consisted of a multi-layer fast fission chamber loaded with $$^{235}$$ U and $$^{238}$$ U, and it was located at the 76-m measurement station. By applying the time-of-flight technique, it was possible to extract the n+ $$^{27}$$ Al total cross section in a wide energy region, from 1 eV to 20 MeV, after the correction for the double-bunch mode of the CSNS accelerator. The total cross sections obtained with the two Al samples are consistent and the results obtained with the $$^{235}$$ U fission cells are in good agreement with that with $$^{238}$$ U in the energy range of 1–20 MeV. The uncertainty of neutron total cross section measured with $$^{235}$$ U for 40 mm and 60 mm thick aluminum is 0.7–22.3% and 0.6–12.4% in the energy range of 10 keV–20 MeV. Results are in fair agreement with respect to previous data and evaluations.

Based on a natural resource-based view, this study investigates how lean and green processes in manufacturer-customer (customer side) and manufacturer-supplier interfaces (supply side) in the supply chain influence sustainability in environmental, social, and economic performance. Data from 171 manufacturers are used to test the proposed relationships. The results show that green and lean processes play different roles in achieving sustainable performance. On the customer side, lean processes are the main driver of higher sustainable performance. The results show that lean processes directly improve social, environmental, and economic performance, while green processes improve only environmental performance. On the supplier side, green processes play a prominent role in reaching higher sustainable performance as they directly improve social and economic performance, while lean processes improve only economic performance. This study contributes to the supply chain management and sustainability literature and has managerial implications for firms to more effectively improve sustainable performance.

The relative differential cross sections of the $$^{1}\hbox {H}(n, \,el)$$ reaction have been measured at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) Back-n white neutron source. A low-density polyethylene sample and a graphite foil were prepared for the foreground and background measurements, respectively. The charged particles were detected using the $${\vartriangle }E-E$$ telescope array of the Light-charged Particle Detector Array (LPDA) system. With 10 $${\vartriangle }E-E$$ telescopes, the relative differential cross sections of the $$^{1}\hbox {H}(n, \,el)$$ reaction were obtained from 70 $$^{\circ }$$ to 160 $$^{\circ }$$ in the center-of-mass system in the neutron energy ( $$E_{\mathrm{n}}$$ ) range from 6.14 to 52.48 MeV (23 energy points). The present work was the first experiment using the $${\vartriangle }E-E$$ telescope array of the LPDA system at CSNS. The present results are in good agreement with previous measurements, evaluations and theoretical calculations. Furthermore, this work is the first measurement in the 6.52 MeV $$\le E_{\mathrm{n}} \le $$ 9.09 MeV, 10.57 MeV $$\le E_{\mathrm{n}} \le $$ 12.43 MeV, and 18.05 MeV $$\le $$ $$E_{\mathrm{n}} \le $$ 20.05 MeV regions.

Back-streaming neutrons from the spallation target of the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) that emit through the incoming proton channel were exploited to build a white neutron beam facility (the so-called Back-n white neutron source), which was completed in March 2018. The Back-n neutron beam is very intense, at approximately 2*10^7 n/cm^2/s at 55 m from the target, and has a nominal proton beam with a power of 100 kW in the CSNS-I phase and a kinetic energy of 1.6 GeV and a thick tungsten target in multiple slices with modest moderation from the cooling water through the slices. In addition, the excellent energy spectrum spanning from 0.5 eV to 200 MeV, and a good time resolution related to the time-of-flight measurements make it a typical white neutron source for nuclear data measurements; its overall performance is among that of the best white neutron sources in the world. Equipped with advanced spectrometers, detectors, and application utilities, the Back-n facility can serve wide applications, with a focus on neutron-induced cross-section measurements. This article presents an overview of the neutron beam characteristics, the experimental setups, and the ongoing applications at Back-n., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures

The capture cross sections of the 169Tm reaction were measured at the back streaming white neutron beam line (Back-n) of the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) using four C6D6 liquid scintillation detectors. The background subtraction, normalization, and correction were carefully considered in the data analysis to obtain accurate cross sections. For the resonance at 3.9 eV, the R-matrix code SAMMY was used to determine the resonance parameters with the internal normalization method. The average capture cross sections of 169Tm for energy between 30 and 300 keV were extracted relative to the 197Au reaction. The measured cross sections of the 169Tm reaction were reported in logarithmically equidistant energy bins with 20 bins per energy decade with a total uncertainty of 5.4% – 7.0% in this study and described in terms of average resonance parameters using a Hauser-Feshbach calculation with fluctuations. The point-wise cross sections and the average resonance parameters showed fair agreement with the evaluated values of the ENDF/B-VIII.0 library in the energy region studied.

This study investigates trends in China-related production and operations management (POM) research over the past 10 years (2006–2015). Descriptive statistics analyses are used to identify trends in topics, data, and contributions. We also identify representative examples from the literature to illustrate topics and contributions. Due to China's economic success, there has been a remarkable growth of China-related POM research in the past 10 years. Supply chain management, performance measurement and productivity, regulatory and environmental issues in operations, and purchasing/sourcing systems are the four most prominent research areas, which is a different pattern from the publications on other emerging economies. The number of articles adopting novel frameworks and approaches has increased, while the number of descriptive articles has decreased. This literature review offers an overview of previous China-related POM articles and provides several areas for future research. It also provides a better understanding of how China-related POM research has evolved and of new research topics that are emerging, which will help researchers to identify key POM issues in China.

Due to the increasing uncertainty and diversity in supply chains (SCs), companies are aiming to develop their SC flexibility, which we define as the capability of a company, both internally and ext...

The Back-n white neutron source (known as Back-n) is based on back-streaming neutrons from the spallation target at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). With its excellent beam properties, e.g., a neutron flux of approximately 1.8×107 n/cm2/s at 55 m from the spallation target, energy range spanning from 0.5 eV to 200 MeV, and time-of-flight resolution of a few per thousand, along with the equipped physical spectrometers, Back-n is considered to be among the best facilities in the world for carrying out nuclear data measurements. Since its completion and commencement of operation in May 2018, five types of cross-section measurements concerning neutron capture cross-sections, fission cross-sections, total cross-sections, light charged particle emissions, in-beam gamma spectra, and more than forty nuclides have been measured. This article presents an overview of the experimental setup and result analysis on the neutron-induced cross-section measurements and gamma spectroscopy at Back-n in the initial years.

The angle-differential cross sections of neutron-induced deuteron production from carbon were measured at six neutron energies from 25 to 52 MeV relative to those of n-p elastic scattering at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) Back-n white neutron source. By employing the Δ E-E telescopes of the Light-charged Particle Detector Array (LPDA) system at 15.1° to 55.0° in the laboratory system, ratios of the angle-differential cross sections of the 12C(n, xd) reactions to those of the n-p scattering were measured, and then, the angle-differential cross sections of the 12C(n, xd) reactions were obtained using the angle-differential cross sections of the n-p elastic scattering from the JENDL-4.0/HE-2015 library as the standard. The obtained results are compared with data from previous measurements, all of which are based on mono-energic neutrons, the evaluated data from the JENDL-4.0/ HE-2015 library and the ENDF-B/VIII.0 library, and those from theoretical calculations based on INCA code and Talys-1.9 code. Being the first white-neutron-source-based systematic measurement of the angle-differential cross sections of neutron-induced deuteron production reactions on carbon in several tens of MeV, the present work can provide a reference to the data library considering the lack of experimental data.

Differential and angle-integrated cross sections for the $^{10}$B($n, {\alpha}$)$^{7}$Li, $^{10}$B($n, {\alpha}$$_{0}$)$^{7}$Li and $^{10}$B($n, {\alpha}$$_{1}$)$^{7}$Li$^{*}$ reactions have been measured at CSNS Back-n white neutron source. Two enriched (90%) $^{10}$B samples 5.0 cm in diameter and ~85.0 ${\mu}$g/cm$^{2}$ in thickness each with an aluminum backing were prepared, and back-to-back mounted at the sample holder. The charged particles were detected using the silicon-detector array of the Light-charged Particle Detector Array (LPDA) system. The neutron energy E$_{n}$ was determined by TOF (time-of-flight) method, and the valid ${\alpha}$ events were extracted from the E$_{n}$-Amplitude two-dimensional spectrum. With 15 silicon detectors, the differential cross sections of ${\alpha}$-particles were measured from 19.2{\deg} to 160.8{\deg}. Fitted with the Legendre polynomial series, the ($n, {\alpha}$) cross sections were obtained through integration. The absolute cross sections were normalized using the standard cross sections of the $^{10}$B($n, {\alpha}$)$^{7}$Li reaction in the 0.3 - 0.5 MeV neutron energy region. The measurement neutron energy range for the $^{10}$B($n, {\alpha}$)$^{7}$Li reaction is 1.0 eV $\le$ En < 2.5 MeV (67 energy points), and for the $^{10}$B($n, {\alpha}$$_{0}$)$^{7}$Li and $^{10}$B($n, {\alpha}$$_{1}$)$^{7}$Li$^{*}$ reactions is 1.0 eV $\le$ En < 1.0 MeV (59 energy points). The present results have been analyzed by the resonance reaction mechanism and the level structure of the $^{11}$B compound system, and compared with existing measurements and evaluations., Comment: 19 pages, 34 figures, to be published in Chinese Physics C

To verify the performance of the neutron total cross-sectional spectrometer, the neutron total cross section of carbon is initially measured in the energy range of 1 eV to 20 MeV using the time-of-flight method. The measurement is performed at the Back-n white neutron source with a 76-m time-of-flight path using the China Spallation Neutron Source. A multilayer fast fission chamber with 235U and 238U is employed as the neutron detector. The diameter and thickness of the natural graphite sample are 70 mm and 40 mm, respectively. Signal waveforms are collected using a data acquisition system. Off-line data processing was used to obtain the neutron time-of-flight spectra and transmissions. The uncertainty of the counting statistics is generally approximately 3% for each bin in the energy range of 1–20 MeV. It is determined that the results for the neutron total cross section of carbon obtained using 235U cells are in good agreement with the results obtained using 238U cells within limits of statistical uncertainty. Moreover, the measured total cross sections show good agreement with the broadening evaluated data.

In the original article, there were some errors in the list of authors and affiliations. Their correct version is given in this erratum.

China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) has been built and commissioned successfully in 2018 which is implemented by impinging 1.6 GeV protons onto a tungsten target with 25 Hz repetition frequency. An associated white neutron beam line exploiting the back-streaming neutrons, named Back-n, with a flight path of 55 m in endstation 1 (#ES1) and 76 m in endstation 2 (#ES2) was built mainly for nuclear data measurements. The Back-n beam line started running since the beginning of 2018 and the neutron energy spectrum was measured at the very beginning since it is an essential information for feasibility study and analysis of any measurement. In this paper, the measurement of the neutron energy spectrum of Back-n #ES2 is reported. The first result of the neutron flux from 1 eV to 100 MeV measured by a fission chamber based on the 235U(n, f) reaction is presented. The total neutron flux normalized to the proton beam power of 100 kW is $ 7.03 \times 10^{6}$ neutrons/cm2/s. The results show a good agreement with that of the Monte Carlo simulation as well.

The neutron capture cross sections are very important in the field of nuclear device design and basic physics research. Hydrogen-free liquid scintillator such as C6D6 detectors are widely used in the neutron capture cross-sectional measurements for the low neutron sensitivity and fast time response. The Back-n white neutron source at China Spallation Neutron Source is the first spallation white neutron source in China, and it is suitable for neutron capture cross-sectional measurement. A C6D6 detector system was built in the Back-n experimental station. The pulse height weighting technique was used to determine the system’s detection efficiency. The response to gamma rays of the C6D6 detector was measured, and the energy resolution function was determined. Monte Carlo simulation with Geant4 code was carried out to get the weighting function of this C6D6 detector system. Additionally, the systematic uncertainty of the weighting function was also determined. According to the experimental and simulation results, this C6D6 detector system can be used to measure neutron capture cross section.

The Back-n white neutron beam line, which uses back-streaming white neutrons from the spallation target of the China Spallation Neutron Source, is used for nuclear data measurements. A Micromegas-based neutron detector with two variants was specially developed to measure the beam spot distribution for this beam line. In this article, the design, fabrication, and characterization of the detector are described. The results of the detector performance tests are presented, which include the relative electron transparency, the gain and the gain uniformity, and the neutron beam profile reconstruction capability. The result of the first measurement of the Back-n neutron beam spot distribution is also presented., Comment: 31 pages, 18 figures

Scholars and practitioners have recognized the importance of supply chain (SC) resilience. However, it remains unclear how to build SC resilience and whether SC resilience can enhance firm performance and bring values to customers. By analyzing data collected from 206 manufacturers in China, this study empirically examines how firms implement different information technology patterns (exploitative versus explorative) with SC patterns to achieve supplier and customer resilience from information processing theory, and examines the performance implications of these two dimensions of SC resilience. In addition, this study also investigates how information technology (IT) ambidexterity reconciles the paradox between IT exploitation and IT exploration in enhancing SC resilience. The results show that both supplier and customer resilience could improve SC performance. To achieve the two aspects of SC resilience, only explorative use of IT with suppliers and customers have significant effects. The results also show that the ambidextrous use of IT on the customer side takes effect. The exploitative and explorative use of IT complement each other to improve customer resilience. The findings of this study contribute to IT and SC resilience literature.

The Back-n beam line of the China Spallation Neutron Source is the first white neutron facility in China. One of its goals is to perform radiative neutron capture cross-section ( σ nγ ) measurements. To study the experimental backgrounds of this new facility, a measurement of the σ nγ of 197Au was carried out with a C6D6 detector system at Back-n. Time-dependent backgrounds induced by the scattered neutrons and in-beam gamma-rays were measured and analyzed with nat C and nat Pb samples. The black resonance filter technique was employed to evaluate the shape of the backgrounds and perform the normalization. Besides, Monte Carlo simulations of these backgrounds were carried out with the Geant4 toolkit. The simulated results were compared with the experimental ones and the good agreement found allowed us to validate the background evaluation method.

The Back-n is a high luminosity white neutron beamline at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). It started running in 2018 for various nuclear data measurements. A Light charged Particle Detector Array (LPDA) is designed for (n, lcp) reaction experiments, which includes a group of detectors and supporting systems. The Δ E-E telescope, consisting of a Low-Pressure Multi-Wire Proportional Chamber (LPMWPC) and a Si-PIN detector, is the core detector of the LPDA. From the beginning of 2018, several measurements have been performed using the Δ E-E telescopes, and the light charged particles such as 1H, 3H, 4He, and 7Li, were identified successfully. At present, the LPMWPC can identify the protons with energy as low as 0.5 MeV. In the near future, combining with CsI(Tl) crystals, a system consisting of sixteen telescopes with an energy acceptance from 0.5 MeV to 100 MeV (proton) will be constructed for general purpose of (n, lcp) measurements.

Based on the organisational capability perspective and the concept of flow management, this study examines the inter-relationships between the management of five flows (human, information, decision, logistics and production flows) and their effects on operational performance. The research model was empirically tested using data from 321 Australian companies. The results show that human flow management (HFM) has a positive effect on the management of the other four flows. Further, information flow management (IFM) is positively associated with logistics flow management (LFM), whereas decision flow management (DFM) is positively associated with both production flow management (PFM) and LFM. The results also show that HFM, PFM and LFM can improve operational performance directly, whereas IFM and DFM only enhance operational performance indirectly. Our findings contribute to flow management theories and practices.

The Back-n white neutron source at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) was put into operation in 2018, providing a good platform for the cross-section measurement of neutron induced light charged particle ( l c p ) emission ( n , l c p ) reactions. Currently, in order to detect and identify light charged particles produced in ( n , l c p ) reactions at Back-n, a silicon detector array has been developed as a part of Light-charged Particle Detector Array. Composed of 15 silicon detectors, the array can detect the emitted particles ranging from 19.2°to 160.8°. The energy resolution of each silicon detector unit is better than 1% for 5.499 MeV α particles. Adopting this silicon detector array, several experimental measurements have been completed. Differential cross sections and angle-integrated cross sections in the neutron energy region ranging from the eV to the MeV range are extracted. Compared with previous measurements and evaluations, new results are obtained in the present measurements. These experiments indicate the feasibility of the silicon detector array in ( n , l c p ) reaction cross-section measurements.

Based on the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) – Back-streaming white neutron source (Back-n WNS), the measurement of the U-238/U-235 fission cross section ratio in 1–20 MeV neutron energy region has been carried out by a multi-cell fast fission ionization chamber using the time-of-flight method. The measured resonance peaks of the 235U(n, f) reaction are in good agreement with those of the ENDF/B-8.0 database. The measured six groups of the U-238/U-235 fission cross section ratios in 1–20 MeV neutron energy region agree with those of the ENDF/B-8.0 database in trend, and the average discrepancies between experiment and database are from 1.9% to 2.6%. The relative experimental uncertainties are 2.3%–3.6% (1.4–20 MeV), and the measured data agree with those of database within experimental uncertainties at most energy points. The measured U-238/U-235 fission cross section ratio could provide information and data support in relevant nuclear data evaluation.

Combined photon and neutron radiography can integrate merits of X/gamma-ray radiography and energy-selective neutron radiography and has the potential of simultaneously visualizing objects composed of high-Z materials, low-Z materials and particular isotopes that resonantly absorb neutrons at certain energies. Intense pulsed gamma bursts and wide energy spectrum neutrons at spallation sources provide a unique opportunity to perform such combined radiography research. We present the results of the combined radiography experiments performed at the back-streaming white neutron (back-n) beamline at China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). Gamma-ray and energy-selective neutron radiographic images of multi-element samples were taken by an ICCD camera coupled with scintillators using the time of flight (TOF) technique. High-Z (Pb, Au, W, Ta, et al.) components were visualized with the intense gamma-ray bursts. The low-Z ( 10B) component was confirmed with varied image contrast when neutrons with varied energies were selected. The specific elements ( nat In, 197Au and nat W) were identified with neutrons at corresponding resonant energies. The experimental results prove the potential for simultaneously visualizing and identifying high-Z materials, low-Z materials and particular nuclides via combined X-ray radiography and energy-selective neutron radiography.

Differential cross-section data for the n-p and n-d elastic scattering (1H(n, el), 2H(n, el)) are collected and analyzed from EXFOR library. For En > 20 MeV, the experimental results for both reactions are scarce with large uncertainties and discrepancies in general. For En ≤ 20 MeV, the experimental results lack systematicness, most of which were measured around En = 14 MeV even though the differential cross sections of n-p scattering in 1 keV ≤ En ≤ 20 MeV region are recommended as standard. Taking these facts into account, more accurate and systematic measurements are planned. The experiments will be conducted using ΔE-E detectors of the Light-charged Particle Detector Array (LPDA) system at China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) Back-n White Neutron Source (WNS), and simulations are carried out. Using polyethylene and deuterated polyethylene as samples, both n-p and n-d scattering reactions are simulated along with the neutron-induced 12C background reactions, and the 2-D spectra and the counting rates of the ΔE-E detectors are obtained. According to the simulations, the applicable neutron energy range and positions of the detectors are recommended, and the beam time for the event and background measurements is suggested.