Michel Tremblay

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9): Hepatocyte‐specific low‐density lipoprotein receptor degradation and critical role in mouse liver regeneration

The gene encoding the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is linked to familial hypercholesterolemia, as are those of the low‐density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and apolipoprotein B. PCSK9 enhances LDLR degradation, resulting in low‐density lipoprotein accumulation in plasma. To analyze the role of hepatic PCSK9, total and hepatocyte‐specific knockout mice were generated. They exhibit 42% and 27% less circulating cholesterol, respectively, showing that liver PCSK9 was responsible for two thirds of the phenotype. We also demonstrated that, in liver, PCSK9 is exclusively expressed in hepatocytes, representing the main source of circulating PCSK9. The data suggest that local but not circulating PCSK9 regulates cholesterol levels. Although transgenic mice overexpressing high levels of liver and circulating PCSK9 led to the almost complete disappearance of the hepatic LDLR, they did not recapitulate the plasma cholesterol levels observed in LDLR‐deficient mice. Single LDLR or double LDLR/PCSK9 knockout mice exhibited similar cholesterol profiles, indicating that PCSK9 regulates cholesterol homeostasis exclusively through the LDLR. Finally, the regenerating liver of PCSK9‐deficient mice exhibited necrotic lesions, which were prevented by a high‐cholesterol diet. However, lipid accumulation in hepatocytes of these mice was markedly reduced under both chow and high‐cholesterol diets, revealing that PCSK9 deficiency confers resistance to liver steatosis. Conclusion: Although PCSK9 is a target for controlling hypercholesterolemia, our data indicate that upon hepatic damage, patients lacking PCSK9 could be at risk. (HEPATOLOGY 2008;48:646–554.)

The Role of Organizational Justice in Pay and Employee Benefit Satisfaction, and Its Effects on Work Attitudes

The objective of our study is to provide a complementary approach with regard to organizational justice in the domain of compensation. It presents research undertaken on a sample of 285 employees in three different Canadian organizations. The results reveal that employees distinguish clearly between pay satisfaction and benefit satisfaction, and that distributive justice perceptions are better predictors of pay satisfaction than procedural justice perceptions. This result is reversed for employee benefit satisfaction: Procedural justice perceptions are better predictors than distributive justice perceptions. Lastly, the results show that distributive justice perceptions with regard to pay play a more important role than procedural justice in job satisfaction and satisfaction with the organization.

Managerial career success in Canadian organizations: is gender a determinant?

The purpose of this research is to examine which of the following approaches - human capital, family context, socio-economic origin, work investment and reward expectations and structural factors - can eliminate the influence of gender on career success of 3,060 Canadian managers. Taken individually, these different approaches did not counter the effect of gender on career success of managers. However, the use of an overall regression model containing all the approaches countered the effect of gender on the number and speed of promotion, but not on salary and hierarchical level. Finally, the results suggest that the career success of male and female managers is predicted by different variables.

Determinants of career path preferences among Canadian engineers

Abstract This study explores five career paths available to engineers, and aims at understanding the factors that lead them to prefer the management path to other career paths (i.e. the technical path, the project-based path, the entrepreneurial path and the hybrid path). A questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 900 male and female engineers from a large Canadian province. The results show that several determinants under study (mainly individual-related factors such as actual experience path, desire for promotion, work–time investment) effectively distinguish the career path groups for engineers who have a clear career preference. However, the model is far less effective in predicting mitigated career preferences.

Modelling the role of organizational justice: effects on satisfaction and unionization propensity of Canadian

This research explores the direct influence of pay referents and procedural justice on pay satisfaction, job satisfaction and organization satisfaction, and the mediating role of these three aspects of satisfaction between forms of justice and unionization propensity. To test the importance and directions of these relations, we used a LISREL-type structural equation model. The findings showed that the three equity referents of organizational justice (internal, external and individual) are linked to pay satisfaction, and that distributive justice is a better predictor of pay satisfaction than procedural justice perceptions. In contrast, procedural justice is a better predictor of organizational satisfaction and job satisfaction than are distributive justice perceptions. The final model suggests that job satisfaction and organization satisfaction significantly influence propensity to join a union compared with organizational justice perceptions. The paper also specifies the limitations of the study and its practical implications, and makes suggestions for future research.

Explaining Sales Pay Strategy Using Agency, Transaction Cost and Resource Dependence Theories*

The purpose of this study is to investigate, using data gathered from 325 French-Canadian organizations, the influence of key constructs related to agency, transaction cost and resource dependence theories on the proportion of salary in sales compensation. Usefulness analysis showed that performance information (9 per cent), uncertainty (8 per cent) and dependence resource (5 per cent) constructs have a significant incremental contribution to sales compensation. Regarding specific hypothesis tests, results of full model show that the capacity to observe behaviour, team sales and financial resources offered are associated with an increased use of salary pay. In contrast, adaptability of product/service-related resources, salesforce experience and high marginal salesforce productivity are associated with decreased use of the salary component. However, the results of full model have failed to support the direction or influence of relationships between programmability, span of control, market and selling uncertainty, the predominance of salespeople and TCA measures on proportion of salary. The results support the argument that integration of multiple theoretical perspectives better explains pay policy. Copyright 2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd..

Workplace Innovations in Large, Unionized Canadian Organizations

The study reports workplace innovations in 112 large, unionized Canadian organizations from data collected in 1994 by the Bureau of Labour Information. The frequency of specific workplace innovations and the relationship to organization and bargaining unit characteristics are reported.