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<p>The last two decades have shown a boom in the field of wearable sensing technology. Particularly in the consumer industry, growing trends towards personalized health have pushed new devices to report many vital signs, with a demand for high accuracy and reliability. The most common technique used to gather these vitals is photoplethysmography or PPG. PPG devices are ideal for wearable applications as they are simple, power-efficient, and can be implemented on almost any area of the body. Traditionally PPGs were utilized for capturing just heart rate, however, recent advancements in hardware and digital processing have led to other metrics including respiratory rate (RR) and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), to be reported as well. Our research investigates the potential for wearable devices to be used for outpatient apnea monitoring, and particularly the ability to detect opioid misuse resulting in respiratory depression. Ultimately, the long-term goal of this work is to develop a wearable device that can be used in the rehabilitation process to ensure both accountability and safety of the wearer. This document details contributions towards this goal through the design, development, and evaluation of a device called “Kick Ring”. Primarily, we investigate the ability of Kick Ring to record heartrate (HR), RR, and SpO2. Moreover, we show that the device can calculate RR in real time and can provide an immediate indication of abnormal events such as respiratory depression. Finally, we explore a novel method for reporting apnea events through the use of several PPG characteristics. Kick Ring reliably gathers respiratory metrics and offers a combination of features that does not exist in the current wearables space. These advancements will help to move the field forward, and eventually aid in early detection of life-threatening events.</p>

Heroin dependence, which is escalating within South Africa, has become a symbol of the social disorder of the times - associated with materialism, poverty, crime, the problems of a society in transition, the disadvantaged, and the inner cities. However, that is not to say that all those who misuse heroin develop a problem or become dependent. In reality, only a small minority of heroin users develop a dependence, but for those who do it can result in unpleasant and potentially terrifying experiences/consequences, that can often be extremely difficult to escape from. That is not to say that recovery from dependence to heroin is not possible. Indeed, contrary to the beliefs of many people, the reality is that many people do eventually recover. Despite the vast sums of money devoted to treatment intervention of heroin dependants in the South Africa and worldwide, the processes by which recovery occur remain fairly unclear. Moreover, relatively little is known about the contribution of interventions and processes in facilitating such recovery. The statistical and content analysis of the data revealed that one of the most important factors identified in allowing successful behaviour modification and promoting recovery was psychosocial and pharmacological intervention, which seemed to produce a range of positive effects that facilitated natural healing processes. However, a range of other factors alongside intervention were also important in promoting behaviour modification. This study has provided important information, from forty recovering heroin dependants themselves, on the many factors that are important in achieving abstinence, in allowing recovery to be maintained in the longer term, and in potentially allowing an eventual exit from heroin dependence. A number of difficulties encountered in intervention were also identified. The statistical findings of the study support the `maturing out' hypothesis of heroin dependence (c² = 16.841; r = 0.001; df = 3). Ethnicity, highest level of education, employment status, marital status, biological parents' marital status or whether biological parents were deceased or not did not relate to any of the identified behavioural indices associated with heroin dependence recovery. A framework for the development of a contextual heroin dependence recovery model is also discussed. / Psychology / (M.A.(Psychology))

Heroin dependence, which is escalating within South Africa, has become a symbol of the social disorder of the times - associated with materialism, poverty, crime, the problems of a society in transition, the disadvantaged, and the inner cities. However, that is not to say that all those who misuse heroin develop a problem or become dependent. In reality, only a small minority of heroin users develop a dependence, but for those who do it can result in unpleasant and potentially terrifying experiences/consequences, that can often be extremely difficult to escape from. That is not to say that recovery from dependence to heroin is not possible. Indeed, contrary to the beliefs of many people, the reality is that many people do eventually recover. Despite the vast sums of money devoted to treatment intervention of heroin dependants in the South Africa and worldwide, the processes by which recovery occur remain fairly unclear. Moreover, relatively little is known about the contribution of interventions and processes in facilitating such recovery. The statistical and content analysis of the data revealed that one of the most important factors identified in allowing successful behaviour modification and promoting recovery was psychosocial and pharmacological intervention, which seemed to produce a range of positive effects that facilitated natural healing processes. However, a range of other factors alongside intervention were also important in promoting behaviour modification. This study has provided important information, from forty recovering heroin dependants themselves, on the many factors that are important in achieving abstinence, in allowing recovery to be maintained in the longer term, and in potentially allowing an eventual exit from heroin dependence. A number of difficulties encountered in intervention were also identified. The statistical findings of the study support the `maturing out' hypothesis of heroin dependence (c² = 16.841; r = 0.001; df = 3). Ethnicity, highest level of education, employment status, marital status, biological parents' marital status or whether biological parents were deceased or not did not relate to any of the identified behavioural indices associated with heroin dependence recovery. A framework for the development of a contextual heroin dependence recovery model is also discussed. / Psychology / (M.A.(Psychology))