1996 Best Paper Award

Abstract

Probably the most important function of the Editorial Board of the journal is to ensure the highest standards of quality in the papers that we publish. We believe that quality is a high priority for our authors and readers when they are selecting journals. Thus, as a Board, one of our pleasant duties is to monitor quality by reading and assessing what we publish. For the last three years Measurement Science and Technology has awarded an annual Best Paper prize. Awarding a prize gives us the chance to say `thank you' to our authors for sending us their best material, and serves as a focus for our own on-going quality review. All members of the board take part in the process, and their recommendations are considered by a subcommittee chaired by our Deputy Editor, Professor K T V Grattan. I am delighted to announce that the prize for 1996 has been awarded for the following article: X Zhang and E Bar-Ziv Direct determination of 3D forces applied on a particle suspended in an electrodynamic chamber 7 1713 - 20 (published December 1996). In making the recommendation, the Award Subcommittee made the following comments. `This technique represents a significant enhancement to previous applications of electrodynamic chambers. It provides a capability for measurement of all three components of force on a particle. The paper describes a separation of photophoretic and free convection forces on a particle irradiated by a focused laser beam. The method also opens measurement possibilities for a large number of particle characteristics, with potential applications in droplet combustion. The balance of theoretical background and experimental measurement, coupled with a detailed discussion and interpretation of results in the light of other published work, enhances the quality of the argument. A comprehensive set of measurements validates the technique and the interpretation.' We always endeavour to present the award at a relevant international conference, not only to provide a sense of occasion, but also to give a tangible expression of the link between the journal and the communities that it serves. This year the award was made at the 13th Annual Conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, held on 9 - 11 July in Firenze, Italy. The paper itself will be freely available to all interested readers, for the next few months, as a Featured Article on the homepage of the electronic version of Measurement Science and Technology (http://www.iop.org/Journals/mt). This year, the Award Subcommittee found their task particularly difficult, remarking on the large number of high quality papers published in the journal in 1996. Therefore, in a break with tradition, they decided also to commend individually three further papers, as follows: L Li, D J Brookfield and W M Steen 1996 Plasma charge sensor for in-process, non-contact monitoring of the laser welding process 7 615 - 26 M Varasi, M Signorazzi, A Vannucii and J Dunphy 1996 A high-resolution integrated optical spectrometer with applications to fibre sensor signal processing 7 173 - 8 S J McCallum, M Alecci and D J Lurie 1996 Modification of a whole-body NMR imager into a radio-frequency EPR spectrometer suitable for in vivo measurements 7 1012 - 8. With more than half of 1997 now gone, our thoughts turn to this year's award. If, as a reader, any particular papers have struck you as especially worthy of commendation, please let me know. If you are an author I hope that this Editorial may have encouraged you to think of Measurement Science and Technology as the home for your best submissions. Julian D C Jones Honorary Editor July 1997