immobilization

First, patients go through a period of “immobilization” of roughly four weeks, Rothenberg said, during which time the shoulder should be subjected to only “very controlled movement” and is often kept cradled in a sling.

Surgery might be required, and a prolonged period of rest, immobilization, and treatment can be difficult to endure.

“Achieving operational temperature and the concurrent running of both melters will represent a major step toward future immobilization of Hanford tank waste,” the Department of Energy said in a message to the advisory board Wednesday.

"This type of immobilization appears to limit the mobility of the enzymes, which makes them less susceptible to plasma-induced inactivation," outlines Tim Dirks.

By extending the plasma treatment for the most promising candidates to up to one hour, the team was able to increase the stability of the enzymes under plasma treatment by immobilization up to a factor of 44.