Regular Production Research Articles

QUARANTINE VLOGS: DIGITAL AFFECTIVE LABOR AND SELF-GOVERNANCE DURING COVID-19

This research explores how did influencers incorporate the Covid-19 pandemic into their regular content production on YouTube by specifically examining the recent genre of "quarantine vlog," which emerged in concurrence with global lockdowns. I adopt a grounded theory approach to analyze the YouTube transcriptions of purposefully selected 9 quarantine vlogs filmed by women influencers during the early months of the pandemic, along with 250 user comments. My analysis shows that quarantine vlogs are significantly different than ordinary vlogs. I draw on existing research on influencer cultures to explain this dissimilarity as a tension between influencers' struggle to form an intimacy with the viewers - which can have a soothing effect in a moment of a crisis - and the use of vlogs as a neoliberal device in order to preserve their aspirational image. I demonstrate that quarantine vlogs reveal that influencers are no longer able to perform an aspirational ideal in their videos without first engaging with the mental stress, anxiety, confusion, and loneliness brought by COVID-19 or apologizing for their relative privilege and demonstrating sympathy towards their followers who are in hardship. At the same time, to preserve their aspirational persona, they reframe the pandemic moment as an opportunity for productivity and self-growth. As a result, influencers carry out substantial affective labor and engage in a delicate self-governance to preserve their relevance and online visibility during a global moment of crisis.

The Test-Retest Reliability of Bilateral and Unilateral Force Plate-Derived Parameters of the Countermovement Push-Up in Elite Boxers.

Maximal power describes the ability to immediately produce power with the maximal velocity at the point of release, impact, and/or take off-the greater an athlete's ability to produce maximal power, the greater the improvement of athletic performance. In reference to boxing performance, regular consistent production of high muscular power during punching is considered an essential prerequisite. Despite the importance of upper limb power to athletic performance, presently, there is no gold standard test for upper limb force development performance. To investigate the test-retest reliability of the force plate-derived measures of countermovement push-up in elite boxers. Test-retest design. High Performance Olympic Training Center. Eighteen elite Olympic boxers (age = 23 [3]y; height = 1.68 [0.39]m; body mass = 70.0 [17]kg). Participants performed 5 repetitions of countermovement push-up trials on FD4000 Forcedeck dual force platforms on 2 separate test occasions 7days apart. Peak force, mean force, flight time, rate of force development, impulse, and vertical stiffness of the bilateral and unilateral limbs from the force-time curve. No significant differences between the 2 trial occasions for any of the derived bilateral or unilateral performance measures. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated moderate to high reliability for performance parameters (intraclass correlation coefficients = .68-.98) and low coefficient of variation (3%-10%) apart from vertical stiffness (coefficient of variation = 16.5%-25%). Mean force demonstrated the greatest reliability (coefficient of variation = 3%). In contrast, no significant differences (P < .001) were noted between left and right limbs (P = .005-.791), or between orthodox or southpaw boxing styles (P = .19-.95). Force platform-derived kinetic bilateral and unilateral parameters of countermovement push-up are reliable measures of upper limb power performance in elite-level boxers; results suggest unilateral differences within the bilateral condition are not the norm for an elite boxing cohort.

A closed-loop supply chain inventory model with stochastic demand, hybrid production, carbon emissions, and take-back incentives

This paper considers a two-echelon inventory model for a closed-loop supply chain system containing a manufacturer and a retailer under a stochastic environment with carbon emission reductions. Production and remanufacturing are performed simultaneously in a manufacturer's hybrid production system involving green production and regular production. To encourage the manufacturer to reuse products, the government offers a take-back incentive operating under a collection rate target. Motivated by this offer, the manufacturer significantly improves the system and makes an investment to increase the number of used products collected from the customers. The emissions generated from transportation, production, and storage activities are incorporated into the model and intended to be reduced by a carbon tax regulation. To achieve this, a mathematical inventory model that aims to minimize the joint total cost is built and solved using an efficient procedure. The results show that by controlling the collection rate and the production allocation, the system can minimize the cost and the emissions. Further, the take-back incentive and the manufacturer's investment in collection efforts can effectively increase the return rate of used products, but these policies will lead to an undesirable increase in total emissions.

Thermomechanical Simulation of Ferritic Rolling of Titanium-Niobium Interstitial-Free Steel

Abstract Austenitic or two-phase rolling of ultra-low carbon steels face temperature control issues and generate shape defects. Ferritic rolling has been developed as a solution, and ferritic hot-rolled sheets are used as final products, replacing hot-rolled followed by cold-rolled sheets. However, it is not in regular industrial production because of mill limitations. Hence, ferritic hot rolling must be optimized for developing a ferritic cold-rolled and close-annealed sheet through subsequent processing. In this work, industrial ferritic rolling process was simulated for a titanium-niobium interstitial-free steel using a thermomechanical simulator. Multi-hit plane strain compression tests were carried out at three different regimes below the lower transformation temperature (Ar1). Steels were processed under high strain and strain rates as experienced during industrial hot rolling operation, and the results were compared with the conventional austenitic rolling. The flow stress of the material in the ferritic regime decreased with decreasing deformation temperatures but increased at temperatures below 700°C. Nonuniformity in grains and texture also increased with decreasing temperatures. High-temperature rolling in ferritic condition close to Ar1 temperature does not differ significantly from the austenitic condition, whereas the low-temperature ferritic rolled material had through-thickness microstructural nonuniformity and unwanted goss and brass fibers. The intensity of gamma-fiber {111} || normal direction (ND) required for formability was highest in the intermediate temperature zone. Deformation between temperatures of 850°C and 800°C was found to be ideal. Based on simulation studies, full-scale plant rolling was carried out under the optimized ferritic regime. The microstructure and texture matched closely with the simulation results. This work provides a working window for ferrite rolling in an industrial hot strip mill for developing ferritic cold-rolled close-annealed products.

Regular production and supply of ready-to-use gallium-68 radiopharmaceuticals: centralized radiopharmacy concept with supply experience of 300 doses

Regular production and supply of ready-to-use gallium-68 radiopharmaceuticals: centralized radiopharmacy concept with supply experience of 300 doses

Welcome to online-only production of Parasitology and future-proofing of the journal's academic standards.

After an unbroken production run, first starting in March 1908, the hardcopy of the Cambridge University Press (CUP) journal Parasitology will cease in December 2021. From January 2022 onwards, all published articles will be online only, though we will continue the regular production cycle of 14 issues per year, a nod to the proud printed press tradition. Each issue typically groups together 10-15 papers, with two earmarked as Special Issues. The latter are commissioned by John Ellis, Deputy Editor-in-Chief & Special Issue Editor. For their easier perusal, the 28 Special Issues from the last decade now feature more prominently on our CUP website (see https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/parasitology), allocated their own navigation tab, alongside a tabbed virtual collection of other articles selected post-production. These are drawn together upon certain #World_Day_Themes to promote their broader academic appeal and impact.

Floral biology and pollen grain presentation in “Arbequina” olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivar under non-traditional crop climatic conditions

ABSTRACT Olea europaea L. (Oleaceae), a traditional oil crop of Mediterranean basin, has been expanded considerably in the last decades to other regions of the world. “Arbequina” is one of the most widely planted cultivars due to its good agronomic and technological attributes, but interannual variability in thermal and rainfall regimes affects its regular fruit production in countries of the Southern Hemisphere, including Uruguay. To better understand the floral mechanisms that regulate fruit set in Southern Hemisphere climatic conditions, our work addresses the “Arbequina” flower functionality and pollen grains presentation along flower life span. In this andromonoecious species, the fruitful perfect flower morphs were evaluated by means of determining functional parameters such as stigmatic receptivity and pollen grain viability in each floral phenological stage, and pollen grain adhesion and pollen tube growth rate in hand pollination treatments. This flower morph did not show functional limitations under Uruguayan climatic conditions for the year in which the study was carried out, but a breeding system expressed by two different functional phases was detected. The first pistillate functional phase, where the stigma is receptive but no pollen release occurs, tends to avoid self-pollination and promotes crosspollination in the same flower. Then, a second perfectly functional phase follows, where the stigma remains receptive and the anthers release their pollen grains. In a self-incompatible olive cultivar such as “Arbequina”, this pollen grain presentation further stresses the importance of combining inter-compatible olive cultivars with synchronized flowering in orchard design, as a first step to ensure fruit set.

Harsh is large: nonlinear vocal phenomena lower voice pitch and exaggerate body size.

A lion's roar, a dog's bark, an angry yell in a pub brawl: what do these vocalizations have in common? They all sound harsh due to nonlinear vocal phenomena (NLP)—deviations from regular voice production, hypothesized to lower perceived voice pitch and thereby exaggerate the apparent body size of the vocalizer. To test this yet uncorroborated hypothesis, we synthesized human nonverbal vocalizations, such as roars, groans and screams, with and without NLP (amplitude modulation, subharmonics and chaos). We then measured their effects on nearly 700 listeners' perceptions of three psychoacoustic (pitch, timbre, roughness) and three ecological (body size, formidability, aggression) characteristics. In an explicit rating task, all NLP lowered perceived voice pitch, increased voice darkness and roughness, and caused vocalizers to sound larger, more formidable and more aggressive. Key results were replicated in an implicit associations test, suggesting that the ‘harsh is large’ bias will arise in ecologically relevant confrontational contexts that involve a rapid, and largely implicit, evaluation of the opponent's size. In sum, nonlinearities in human vocalizations can flexibly communicate both formidability and intention to attack, suggesting they are not a mere byproduct of loud vocalizing, but rather an informative acoustic signal well suited for intimidating potential opponents.

Mind the Gap: Animal Protection Law and Opinion of Sheep Farmers and Lay Citizens Regarding Animal Maltreatment in Sheep Farming in Southern Brazil.

Simple SummaryAnimal protection laws are written and enforced differently depending on the category of animals they are assigned to. This generates inconsistencies in the recognition of animal maltreatment. We studied sheep farmers’ and other citizens’ opinions regarding animal maltreatment by discussing the risk of sheep maltreatment in regular farming practices in Southern Brazil. We surveyed the perception of 56 farmers and 209 citizens regarding general animal and specific on-farm sheep maltreatment issues. The understanding of some key components of animal maltreatment was similar for both respondent groups: failing to provide for the basic animal needs and aggression or physical abuse towards animals. However, citizens were more sensitive than farmers to animal stress, suffering, fear and pain. More citizens than sheep farmers believed that animal maltreatment occurs in sheep farming; nevertheless, nearly half of the farmers recognized sheep maltreatment within normal production practices. Most citizens and all of the farmers were unaware of the Brazilian animal protection laws. Most citizens stated that they would not purchase products from animals exposed to maltreatment. We suggest painful procedures as the main risk of animal maltreatment in sheep farming and a priority issue. The level of cognitive dissonance in sheep farmers and contradictions between farmers and other citizens observed in our results indicate that mitigation policies are urgently needed.We aimed to study the gaps between the law and sheep farmer and citizen opinions regarding animal maltreatment by discussing the risk of sheep maltreatment in regular farming practices in Southern Brazil. We surveyed the perception of 56 farmers and 209 citizens regarding general animal and specific on-farm sheep maltreatment issues. The main themes from these two groups about the key components of animal maltreatment were similar: failing to provide for the basic animal needs (27.0%; 96 of 355 total quotes) and aggression or physical abuse (23.9%; 85/355). However, citizens (19.8%; 60/303) were more sensitive than farmers (9.6%; 5/52) to animal stress, suffering, fear, pain or painful procedures (p < 0.05). The perspective of citizens was closer than that of farmers to expert definitions for three situations: emaciation, movement restriction and tail docking without anesthetic use (p < 0.05). More citizens (71.6%; 116/162) than sheep farmers (49.0%; 24/49) believed that animal maltreatment occurs in sheep farming (p < 0.05), but nearly half of the farmers recognized sheep maltreatment within regular production practices. Most citizens (86.4%; 140/162) and all farmers (100.0%; 0/51) were unaware of any Brazilian animal protection law. Most citizens (79%; 131/167) stated that they would not purchase products from animals exposed to maltreatment. We suggest painful procedures as a major risk of animal maltreatment in sheep farming and a priority issue. With the many decades of animal protection laws and scientific recognition of animal sentience and welfare requirements, the level of cognitive dissonance and practical contradictions observed in our results indicate that mitigation policies are urgently needed.

Phytoremediation of cadmium contaminated soils by Amaranthus Hypochondriacus L.: The effects of soil properties highlighting cation exchange capacity

Phytoremediation is a cost-effective method to remedy Cd-contaminated soils. However, it is difficult to predict the performance of a given (hyper)accumulator at different soils due to the divergent plant-soil mutual fitness. Soil properties could be quite influential in determining plant growth and Cd uptake and therefore affect phytoremediation efficiency. To explore the primary soil factors that regulate the efficiency of phytoremediation, a phytoextraction experiment with grain amaranth (Amaranthus Hypochondriacus L.) was conducted in six long-term Cd-contaminated agricultural soils from southern China. The results showed that besides the soil available Cd, the soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) greatly affected plant growth and the amount of total Cd extraction. The deficiency of available Ca and Mg in low CEC soil caused insufficient uptake of Ca and Mg by grain amaranth, which was adverse to plant growth and Cd detoxification. The impaired plant biomass production sharply influenced plant total Cd accumulation, despite the relatively high Cd concentration in plants. While for the grain amaranth grown in soils with higher CEC, the increases in plant Ca and Mg promoted plant photosynthesis and plant tolerance to Cd stress, as indicated by the increase of leaf chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzyme activities, which contributed to the higher plant biomass and phytoremediation efficiency. These findings highlight that maintaining regular plant biomass production is vital to ensure the efficiency of phytoremediation, and low CEC of soil is a substantial barrier that needs to be concerned and further addressed for efficient phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils.

Dissection study of the deadman in a commercial blast furnace hearth

The slag, iron and coke in the deadman are extremely difficult to obtain in regular production. In this study, a commercial blast furnace was shut down and the samples were adopted systematically through a dissection study. The image processing method was also involved to clarify the macroscopic morphology of the deadman coke and the coke size distribution as well as the variation of the deadman voidage. It was found that the average size of coke was distributed in “M-shape” and voidage of deadman decreased with the increase of distance to the hearth wall in the horizontal direction. The voidage in the middle and lower of the vertical deadman was the largest and the average size of coke decreased with the increase of the distance to the taphole centerline in the height direction. In addition, the formation mechanism was analyzed, including carburization with hot metal, coke graphitization, the erosion of slag, hot metal, gas flow, etc., which provided an important reference for the high efficiency and low carbon smelting of the blast furnace.

Haze pollution and economic fluctuations: An empirical analysis of Chinese cities

Haze pollution affects not only regular production and normal consumption but also economic vitality and fluctuations. Using panel data on 254 cities in China at the prefecture level from 2000 to 2016, we investigate the characteristics and mechanisms of haze pollution that affect economic fluctuations. We find that haze pollution can inhibit economic fluctuations, which is robust even after considering endogeneity, substituting variables, and taking spatial correlation into account. After employing a mediating effect model, we find that haze pollution can affect economic fluctuations through the channels of reducing enterprise performance and blocking foreign direct investment. Because the characteristics of different types of cities vary, we also find that the inhibiting effect of haze pollution on economic fluctuations is mainly found in resource-based cities, non-vice-provincial cities and in the cities in northeast, central, and western regions. These results not only enrich the research concerning the impact of haze pollution on macroeconomic volatility but also shed light on how to promote the ecological civilization and high-quality development of the Chinese economy.

Farmer evaluation of pesticide seed-coating to control fall armyworm in maize

The arrival of fall armyworm (FAW) in Africa could cause large losses in maize production and affect food security. A new and promising technology to control the pest in the early stages of the maize plant's development is a seed-coating with the insecticide Fortenza Duo, developed by Syngenta and demonstrated in trials and demonstrations during the 2018/19 season in Zambia. Given the urgency of countering the invasion, this study was designed as a rapid and low-cost participatory evaluation of the technology, taking advantage of existing trials and demonstrations while adjusting the standard methodology to fit their lay-out and the timing of the study. The study was organized around an existing trial at the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute, where 44 farmers were invited at mid- and end-seasons, and six on-farm demonstrations organized by Syngenta, where 202 farmers were invited at the end of the regular production season. These evaluations were supplemented with a survey of 153 randomly selected farmers who hosted the demonstrations, and another 162 farmers from the same villages as control. The results showed that farmers scored seed-coated maize plots higher than other non-treated plots during the mid-season evaluation of the trial, but not higher than plots treated with other pesticides. At the end-season, seed-coated maize received slightly higher scores in the overall evaluation but did not score differently for FAW resistance. During the evaluation of on-farm demonstrations, farmers scored the seed-coated maize higher than average for several criteria, in particular for germination/crop stand and resistance to FAW and stalk borer, but the demonstrations did not include a control of untreated maize for comparison purposes. During the survey, however, farmers observed that only 50% of fields with seed-coated maize got infested with FAW vs. 80% in the control. Further, in fields with seed-coated maize FAW infestations occurred about two weeks later than in untreated maize plots. When choosing maize varieties, farmers indicated that yield, grain weight and germination were very important attributes, followed by drought resistance, number of cobs and grain size and, in seventh place, resistance to FAW. When choosing pesticides, farmers listed four criteria as important: convenience, low health risk, low cost, and labor requirements, and listed one criterion, odor, as of minor importance. We concluded that farmers generally evaluated the technology positively. The technology is likely to decrease infestation and damage by FAW, and fit the criteria of farmers in selecting maize seed and pest control methods. However, the results were not conclusive as the demonstrations did not include a proper control.

Recent advancements, technologies, and developments in inclined solar still-a comprehensive review.

People around the world are facing water scarcity, and the demand for freshwater is continuously increasing. The purification of water is the only way to satisfy the need for water. Purification can be done in many ways by purifying seawater or by storing rainwater and letting it to the ground. Different types of solar still are there, which are used to increase the output of water produced. Among others, inclined solar still (ISS) is an outstanding solution as it has a wide exterior area of water, having less depth of water to complement the regular potable water production, even the effectiveness of the inclined solar still. A lot of research had been done by increasing the surface area of water. The day to day collection of water from the ISS was found to be 1-8 kg m- 2. In this review, an analysis was made on the current status of different ISS designs to make advance modifications and research to improve the productivity of the ISS to satisfy the increasing demand for potable water. From this investigation, it is identified that active ISS and hybrid ISS are the most effective as compared to other ISS techniques.

Electroless metallisation of ABS polymer samples produced by different technologies

ABSTRACT In recent years, significant changes have occurred in the field of three-dimensional printing (3D-printing) and it has been applied both in the production of prototypes and in regular production in the following sectors: architecture, construction, automotive, aircraft, biotechnology, fashion, etc. Different technologies for 3D-printing are proposed. Between them, the technology FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) has the greatest application in the industry due to the low cost and simplified operations. This technology is suitable for 3D-printing of various polymers (PET, ABS, PLA, PETG, etc.), which after preliminary treatment can be metallised by electroless deposition in order to obtain an even metal coating. The present paper describes investigations of some properties of nickel or copper coatings, electroless deposited from two kinds of solutions on 3D-printed and on cast under pressure ABS samples. For deposition of electroless nickel or copper coatings with good adhesion, the influence of the pre-treatment operations was also evaluated in both cases upon deposition on 3D-printed ABS samples with different resolutions (0.8 or 0.25 mm,) and on cast under pressure ABS samples. The thickness of the deposited layers was determined gravimetrically; the morphology and the elemental composition of the layers were examined by SEM or EDS, respectively; the surface roughness of the ABS samples was measured by AFM, and the adhesion of the metal layers was evaluated by a standard test with an adhesive tape (type Test-Method ASTM D 3359-83).

Dynamic Contract under Quick Response in a Supply Chain with Information Asymmetry

We investigate a dynamic contracting problem in a supply chain with a manufacturer selling a seasonal product through a retailer over two periods. In period 1, which is before the selling season, neither firm knows the demand information. The manufacturer runs on the regular production mode with low production cost but long lead time. In period 2, which refers to the selling season, only the retailer can update the demand information, so information asymmetry exists in the supply chain. The manufacturer may further produce and supplement the retailer via a second contract. However, only a mode of quick response with a shorter lead time but higher cost is viable, if the manufacturer decides not to carry inventory from period 1 to period 2. We formulate this dynamic contracting problem into four models based on whether the manufacturer adopts quick response or carries inventory. We show that the adoption of quick response may not always benefit the manufacturer due to the information rent she has to sacrifice, and the manufacturer may be better off under a higher cost of quick response. Interestingly, the capability of inventory carryover always hurts the manufacturer regardless of the implementation of QR. Essentially, we find that one of the hurdles of implementing these capabilities comes from the incentive issues in a decentralized supply chain. The retailer may ask for information rent whenever the manufacturer adopts a capability for supplying him in period 2, especially if this capability is inflexible that requires advance production before demand realization.

An Evaluation of Risk-Based Agricultural Land-Use Adjustments under a Flood Management Strategy in a Floodplain

Agricultural damage due to floods in the Indus basin’s fertile land has been the most damaging natural disaster in Pakistan so far. Earthen dikes are protecting the vast areas of the floodplain from regular flooding. However, the floodplain is attractive to farmers due to its fertility and experiences regular crop production within and out of the dike area. This paper evaluates the flood risk in a floodplain of the Chenab river in Pakistan and recommends land-use changes to reduce the flood risk for crops and associated settlements within the study area. The objective of the land-use change is not just to reduce flood losses but also to increase the overall benefits of the floodplain in terms of its Economic Rent (ER). This preliminary study analyses the economic impacts of the risk-based land-use improvements on existing floodplain land uses. Expected Annual Damage (EAD) maps were developed using hydrodynamic models and GIS data. The developed model identified the areas where maize can be economically more productive compared to rice under flood conditions. Promising results were obtained for the settlement relocations. It was also observed that the infra-structure, running parallel to the river, plays a significant role in curtailing the extent of floods. The results show that a combination of structural and non-structural measures proves more effective. The study also recommends the inclusion of social and environmental damages as well as other types of non-structural measures to develop the most effective flood management strategy.

TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTION OF A MEAT FARM WITH EQUAL VEAL SUPPLY DURING A YEAR

The technological solution of a meat farm for 1000 cows of a broodstock with a three-round hotel of cows is presented. The first round is planned in january – march, the second round – in may – july and the third-from september to november. The goal of the development is to ensure regular production of beef during the year, obtained from the slaughter of 6–7-month-old steers and 8–9-month-old chicks, grown on suckling under mother cows to a live weight of 170–216 kg. The average daily growth of bulls – 800, heifers-700 g. the daily supply of meat will reach 62.4 c, an average of 2 c per day. The average level of profitability is 30.6%. New design and planning solutions for industrial buildings are proposed. The parameters of the feed zone of the farm and the need for in-farm equipment were determined. When developing the master plan of the farm, the following main zones were identified: production purposes, storage and preparation of feed, auxiliary production. For the use of loose keeping of animals, the structural scheme of buildings was chosen without internal supports. Keeping cows with calves in winter is loose on a deep non-replaceable litter. Unlike young animals, the delivery of adult animals for meat takes place in September – October. For the mechanization of production processes, there are two mixers, a mini-feed mill, auto-watering machines, ball drinkers with electric heating, a water dispenser, a straw roll shredder, and a machine for treating animals with a disinfectant solution.

The Importance of Trend-Cycle Analysis for National Statistics Institutes

Seasonal adjustment is a widely applied statistical method. National Statistics Institutes around the world apply seasonal adjustment methods, such as X-12-ARIMA or TRAMO-SEATS, on a regular basis to help users interpret movements in the time series and aid in decision making. The seasonal adjustment process decomposes the original time series into three main components: a trend-cycle, seasonal and irregular. By definition the seasonally adjusted estimates still contain a degree of volatility as they are just a combination of the trend-cycle and irregular. Typically, as an analytical product, the seasonally adjusted estimates are published alongside the time series of the original estimates. In most countries the trend-cycle estimates are not published. Some countries, such as Australia, regularly publish trend-cycle as additional analytical product alongside the original and seasonally adjusted estimates to inform users. This paper presents the case for the regular calculation and production of trend- cycle estimates at National Statistics Institutes to help inform and educate users about the longer term signals in the time series.

Development of a technology of isothermal annealing with the use of the forging heat for chromium‑molybdenum steel

The article discusses the results of investigations performed during a thermo-mechanical treatment of forgings made of chromium‑molybdenum 42CrMo4 grade steel. The treatment was realized during a regular series production. The forging process was combined with a heat treatment carried out directly after forging on a specially adapted station. Such a production technology will make it possible to eliminate the step of repeated heating of the forgings. On the example of an element of a steering gear, it was demonstrated how it is possible to perform an isothermal annealing process starting from the temperature at which the trimming of the forgings ends. During the cooling of the forgings, it is enough to maintain the temperature at the proper level in order for the exothermal phase transformation of austenite into pearlite to take place. The test results show that, with the properly selected temperature of isothermal annealing, it is possible to obtain an equilibrial ferritic-pearlitic structure in the required hardness scope. Introducing such a solution into the industrial practice would allow savings more than 80% of the energy used for the heat treatment of forging in this case.