The androgenic gland (AG) is a male-specific endocrine organ that controls the primary and secondary sexual characteristics in male crustaceans. More evidence indicates that the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone gene (IAG) is the key male sexual differentiation factor, particularly the application of RNA interference (RNAi) technology on IAG. In this study, the full-length cDNA of IAG (termed PcIAG) was isolated from the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. Tissue distribution analysis showed that in addition to its expression in the AG of male P. clarkii, PcIAG was widely expressed in female tissues and other male tissues. The PcIAG protein was detected in the reproductive and nervous systems of adult male P. clarkii. Additionally, RNAi results showed that the PcIAG expression could be silenced efficiently, and the male sperm maturation and release possibly present a transient adverse interference at lower doses (0.1 μg/g and 1 μg/g) of PcIAG–dsRNA (PcIAG double-stranded RNA). Dramatically, the expression level of PcIAG increased sharply shortly after the injection of higher doses (5 μg/g and 10 μg/g) of PcIAG–dsRNA, which might accelerate the maturation and release of sperm. Moreover, the expression of PcSxl (P. clarkii Sex-lethal) was detected by Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) after the injection of PcIAG–dsRNA to explore whether the PcIAG gene regulates the PcSxl gene, and we found that the PcIAG did not directly regulate PcSxl in P. clarkii. The study could help accelerate the progress of PcIAG functional research and provide a useful reference for the single-sex selective breeding of P. clarkii.

Hollow structuring has been identified as an effective strategy to enhance the cycling stability of electrodes for rechargeable batteries due to the outstanding volume expansion buffering efficiency, which motivates ardent pursuing on the synthetic approaches of hollow materials. Herein, an intriguing route, combining solid precursor transition and Ostwald ripening (SPTOR), is developed to craft nano single‐crystal (SC)‐constructed MnCO3 submicron hollow spindles homogeneously encapsulated in a reduced graphene oxide matrix (MnCO3 SMHSs/rGO). It is noteworthy that the H‐bonding interaction between Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and oxygen‐containing groups on GO promotes uniform anchoring of Mn3O4 NPs on GO, mild reductant ascorbic acid triggers the progressive solid‐to‐solid transition from Mn3O4 NPs to MnCO3 submicron solid spindles (SMSSs) in situ on GO, and the Ostwald ripening process induces the gradual dissolution of interior polycrystals of MnCO3 SMSSs and subsequent recrystallization on surface SCs of MnCO3 SMHSs. Remarkably, MnCO3 SMHSs/rGO delivers a 500th lithium storage capacity of 2023 mAh g−1 at 1000 mA g−1, which is 10 times higher than that of MnCO3 microspheres/rGO fabricated from a conventional Mn2+ salt precursor (202 mAh g−1). The ultrahigh capacity and ultralong lifespan of MnCO3 SMHSs/rGO can be primarily attributed to the superior reaction kinetics and reversibility combined with exceptional interfacial and capacitive lithium storage capability, enabled by the fast ion/electron transfer, large specific surface area, and robust electrode pulverization inhibition efficacy. Moreover, fascinating in‐depth lithium storage reactions of MnCO3 are observed such as the oxidation of Mn2+ in MnCO3 to Mn3+ in charge process after long‐term cycles and the further lithiation of Li2CO3 in discharge process. As such, the SPTOR approach may represent a viable strategy for crafting various hollow functional materials with metastable nanomaterials as precursors.

Tin dioxide (SnO2) has been widely implemented as an advanced anode material for lithium or sodium ion batteries (LIBs/SIBs) owing to the high capacity and moderate potential. However, conventional synthetic...

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