The magnetic microbubbles with phase convertible PFP core encapsulated by lecithin shell loaded with OA-SPIONs can serve as a potential bimodal contrast agent for both ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Recently, dual-mode imaging systems merging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) have been developed. Designing a dual-mode contrast agent is complex due to different mechanisms of enhancement. Herein, we describe novel phase change nanodroplets (PCNDs) with perfluoropentane encapsulated in a pre-polyglycerol sebacate (pre-PGS) shell loaded with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated iron oxide nanoparticles as having a dual-mode contrast agent effect. Iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared via the chemical co-precipitation method and PCNDs were prepared via the solvent displacement technique. PCNDs showed excellent enhancement in the in vitro US much more than Sonovue® microbubbles. Furthermore, they caused a susceptibility effect resulting in a reduction of signal intensity on MRI. An increase in the concentration of nanoparticles caused an increase in the MR contrast effect but a reduction in US intensity. The concentration of nanoparticles in a shell of PCNDs was optimized to obtain a dual-mode contrast effect. Biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and immunogenicity assays showed that PCNDs were safe and non-immunogenic. Another finding was the dual-mode potential of unloaded PCNDs as T1 MR and US contrast agents. Results suggest the excellent potential of these PCNDs for use as dual-mode contrast agents for both MRI and US.

Remote work is becoming an inevitable practice in today’s business world which has transformed all business operations in times of COVID-19. This study aims to explore the roles of online time-spatial job crafting and leisure crafting for dealing with tele-pressure and techno-self-efficacy for improving remote work performance. Data are gathered through an online survey of 486 employees working in the IT sector of Pakistan and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique is used to analyze the hypothesis relationships. The results show that online job crafting and leisure crafting positively and significantly influence remote work performance. Moreover, findings indicate that tele-pressure partially mediates the relationship between online time job crafting and leisure crafting on remote work performance. Results also show that techno-self-efficacy positively moderates the relationship between online time job crafting and leisure crafting on tele-pressure. The findings provide insightful suggestions for building a collaborative remote workplace at the individual and collective level to implement job crafting interventions and enrich workers’ personal and organizational resources, which is helpful to cope with current challenges.

No abstract