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The increasing concern for the safety and sustainability of structures is calling for the development of smart self-healing materials and preventive repair methods. This research is carried out to investigate the extent of self-healing in normal-strength concrete by using Sporosarcina aquimarina - NCCP-2716 immobilized in expanded perlite (EP) as the carrier. The efficacy of crack-healing was also tested using two alternative self-healing techniques, i.e. expanded perlite (EP) concrete and direct introduction of bacteria in concrete. A bacterial solution was embedded in EP and calcium lactate pentahydrate was added as the nutrient. Experiments revealed that specimens containing EP-immobilized bacteria had the most effective crack-healing. After 28 days of healing, the values of completely healed crack widths were up to 0.78 mm, which is higher than the 0.5 mm value for specimens with the direct addition of bacteria. The specimen showed a significant self-healing phenomenon caused by substantial calcite precipitation by bacteria. The induced cracks were observed to be repaired autonomously by the calcite produced by the bacteria without any adverse effect on strength. The results of this research could provide a scientific foundation for the use of expanded perlite as a novel microbe carrier and Sporosarcina aquimarina as a potential microbe in bacteria-based self-healing concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in BRCA2 increase susceptibility to breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. The product of human BRCA2, BRCA2 protein, has a key role in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and interstrand cross-links by RAD51-mediated homologous recombination. Here, we present a biochemical and structural characterization of full-length (3,418 amino acid) BRCA2, alone and in complex with RAD51. We show that BRCA2 facilitates nucleation of RAD51 filaments at multiple sites on single-stranded DNA. Three-dimensional EM reconstructions revealed that BRCA2 exists as a dimer and that two oppositely oriented sets of RAD51 molecules bind the dimer. Single-stranded DNA binds along the long axis of BRCA2, such that only one set of RAD51 monomers can form a productive complex with DNA and establish filament formation. Our data define the molecular mechanism by which this tumor suppressor facilitates RAD51-mediated homologous-recombinational repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]