The subject of corpses from mass violence is surprisingly unexplored, even though the materiality of the corpse carries strong symbolic capital in conflicts. The aim of my PhD research is to create new knowledge about the implications of unburied corpses that stem from intergroup conflicts, and subsequently to add knowledge concerning how intergroup violence is organised to achieve desired social agendas. In the licentiate thesis presented here, I research the conditions for postmortem agency and how treatment of corpses can be studied in prehistory, specifically through the material remains of unburied corpses from the Sandby borg massacre. The Sandby borg case study is explored through a bioarchaeological perspective. Inside the Iron Age ringfort, the remains of at least 26 individuals have been recovered hitherto. Several of the dead display traces of lethal intergroup violence. By integrating osteology, archaeology, taphonomy and social theories, I show how bioarchaeological research can contribute to the understanding of past postmortem agency in relation to intergroup violence as a social process. The thesis is comprised of four articles.

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse potential determinants of cycle commuting speed, with the following research questions: 1. How does cycle commuting speed relate to amount of gears, access to shower facilities, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE), when sex, age, weight, body mass index (BMI), duration, last digit in self-reported duration, and cycling area are controlled for? 2. How are the earlier found relationships between speed and duration, and speed and sex, affected when amount of gears, access to shower facilities, and RPE are added to the control variables age, weight, BMI, last digit in self-reported duration, and cycling area?   Method: In this cross-sectional study, 1526 adult cycle commuters (67% females) in Stockholm County, Sweden, were recruited through advertisements. In a self-administered questionnaire, the respondents reported their sex, age, height, weight, duration of their typical cycle commuting journey, amount of gears, access to shower facilities at the destination, and rating of perceived exertion (measured by the Borg RPE Scale) while cycling. They also drew their cycling route on an individually adjusted map. Multiple linear regression was used to facilitate the analyses.   Results: In a regression model with the independent variables sex, age, weight, body mass index, duration, last digit in self-reported duration (1–4 or 6–9 compared to 0 or 5), cycling area (inner urban compared to suburban and suburban – inner urban), gears, shower facilities, and RPE, the dependent variable cycle commuting speed was positively related to using a bicycle with five or more (as compared to four or fewer) gears, having convenient (as opposed to inconvenient or non-existent) access to shower facilities, and perceiving a higher degree of exertion while cycling. Gears, showers, and RPE were also found to substantially affect the earlier found relationships between speed and duration, and speed and sex. The respondents showed a clear tendency of giving odd-numbered, compared to even-numbered, ratings of perceived exertion.   Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of gears, showers, and RPE in activities such as estimating, planning or taking measures in relation to cycle commuting. It also shows that adding new factors to control for might change earlier established relationships within this field. When the Borg RPE Scale is used, correct instructions strengthens the validity. / Syfte och frågeställningar: Syftet med denna studie är att analysera potentiella påverkansfaktorer gällande cykelpendlingshastighet, med följande frågeställningar: 1. Hur relaterar hastighet till antal växlar, tillgång till duschfaciliteter och skattning av egenupplevd fysisk ansträngningsgrad (RPE), när kön, ålder, vikt, BMI, duration, slutsiffra i självrapporterad duration samt cykelområde kontrolleras? 2. Hur påverkas de tidigare funna förhållandena mellan hastighet och duration, samt hastighet och kön, när antal växlar, tillgång till duschfaciliteter och RPE adderas till kontrollvariablerna ålder, vikt, BMI, slutsiffra i självrapporterad duration, och cykelområde?   Metod: I denna tvärsnittsstudie rekryterades 1526 vuxna cykelpendlare (67% kvinnor) i Stockholms län genom annonser. I ett själv-administrerat formulär rapporterade de kön, ålder, längd, vikt, duration vid deras typiska cykelpendlingsresa, antal växlar, tillgång till duschfaciliteter vid destinationen, och skattning av egenupplevd fysisk ansträngningsgrad (enligt Borgskalan) under cyklingen. De ritade även in sin cykelväg på en individuellt anpassad karta. Multipel linjär regression användes för att möjliggöra analyserna.   Resultat: I en regressionsmodell med de oberoende variablerna kön, ålder, vikt, BMI, duration, slutsiffra i självrapporterad duration (1­–4 eller 6–9 jämfört med 0 eller 5), cykelområde (innerstad i jämförelse med ytterstad samt ytterstad – innerstad), växlar, duschmöjligheter och RPE, var den beroende variabeln cykelhastighet positivt relaterad till användandet av en cykel med fem växlar eller fler (i jämförelse med fyra eller färre), att ha bekväm tillgång till dusch (i motsats till obekväm eller ingen tillgång alls) samt att uppleva en högre grad av fysisk ansträngning under cykling. Växlar, duschmöjligheter och RPE visade sig även substantiellt påverka de tidigare funna förhållandena mellan hastighet och duration, samt hastighet och kön. Respondenterna visade en tydlig tendens att ge ojämna, i jämförelse med jämna, RPE-skattningar.   Slutsats: Denna studie belyser vikten av växlar, duschmöjligheter och egenupplevd ansträngningsgrad vid exempelvis bedömning, planering eller vidtagande av åtgärder i relation till cykelpendling. Den visar även att nya kontrollfaktorer kan förändra tidigare etablerade förhållanden inom detta fält. Korrekta instruktioner stärker validiteten vid användandet av Borgskalan.

Worker fatigue has been the focus of research for many years. However, there is limited research available on the evaluation and measurement of fatigue for prolonged mentally demanding activities. The objectives of the study are (1 )to evaluate fatigue for prolonged, mentally demanding work-tasks by considering task-dependent, task-independent and personal factors, (2) to identify effective subjective and objective fatigue measures, (3) to establish a relationship between time and factors that affect fatigue (4) to develop models to predict fatigue. A total of 16 participants, eight participants with western cultural backgrounds and eight participants with eastern cultural backgrounds, currently employed in mentally demanding work-tasks (e.g., programmers, computer simulation experts, etc.) completed the study protocols. Each participant was evaluated during normal working hours in their workplace for a 4-hour test session, with a 15-minute break provided after two hours. Fatigue was evaluated using subjective questionnaires (Borg Perceived Level of Fatigue Scale and the Swedish Occupational Fatigue Index (SOFI)); and objective measures (change in resting heart rate and salivary cortisol excretion). Workload was also assessed using the NASA-TLX. Fatigue and workload scales were collected every 30 minutes, cortisol at the start and finish of each 2-hour work block, and heart rate throughout the test session. Fatigue significantly increased over time (p-value <0.0001). All measures, except cortisol hormone, returned to near baseline level following the 15-minute break (p-value <0.0001). Ethnicity was found to have limited effects on fatigue development. Poor to moderate (Rho = 0.35 to 0.75) significant correlations were observed between the subjective and objective measures. Time and fatigue load (a factor that impacts fatigue development) significantly interact to explain fatigue represented by a hyperbolic relationship. Predictive models explained a maximum of 87% of the variation in the fatigue measures. As expected, fatigue develops over time, especially when considering other factors that can impact fatigue (e.g. hours slept, hours of work), providing further evidence of the complex nature of fatigue. As the 15-minute break was found to reduce all measures of fatigue, the development of appropriate rest breaks may mitigate some of the negative consequences of fatigue.

Les systèmes de gestion de la charge d'entrainement sont des outils qui aident à doser l'entrainement des athlètes (Robson-Ansley, et al., 2009). Les limites des systèmes traditionnels ont engendré la venue des systèmes subjectifs basés sur l'appréciation des athlètes et des entraîneurs (Foster, 1998). Les objectifs de cette étude étaient d'observer l'évolution de la fatigue des athlètes selon l'évolution de la charge d'entrainement qu'ils subissent et d'évaluer la force du lien entre les cotes de difficultés et la charge totale. Les données recueillies auprès de 5 nageurs universitaires ont permis de démontrer que le système de gestion de la charge d'entrainement permet d'obtenir des données précises pour quantifier la charge subie par l'athlète. De plus, les cotes de difficulté sont des indices fiables et utiles pour les entraîneurs. Par contre, il est nécessaire que l'équipe d'entraîneurs travaillent de concert afin de s'assurer de placer les athlètes dans des conditions optimales.