Page 9 - Handbook of Electronic Assistive Technology

Glossary

AAL Ambient assisted living (AAL) comprises concepts, products, and services that combine new tech-
nologies and the social environment in order to improve quality of life during all periods of life.
Abduction Movement away from the midline of the body (e.g., abduction of the hip is moving the knee
outward).
Accessibility framework Set of tools and standards built into an operating system with the aim of making
the operating system and software built to run on this operating system more accessible to those with
disabilities.
Actuator Mechanism by which a control system acts on an environment.
Adduction Movement toward the midline of the body (e.g., adduction of the hip squeezes the legs
together).
Anterior cingulate Frontal part of the cingulate cortex, which surrounds the frontal part of the corpus
callosum. This area is involved in the regulation of heart rate and blood pressure, other autonomic
functions, and high-level functions like making decisions, impulse and emotional control, and antici-
pation of rewards.
Apathy Lack of emotion or interest in life. An apathetic presentation in a neurological patient refers to the
long-term, often debilitating, state of reduced emotional experience, low motivation, and drive as a
result of the neurological condition.
Aphasia Language disorder in which there is absence of ability to form or comprehend speech or lan-
guage i.e., where thoughts cannot be converted into verbal language. The word is often used when
dysphasia is intended where dysphasia includes moderate language impairments.
API Application programming interface (API) is a set of clearly defined methods of communication
between various software components.
Apraxia Motor disorder in which there is difficulty motor planning to perform tasks or movements but
where the individual understands what is being asked.
Attenuation Reduction of the force, effect, or value of something. In the attenuation model of selec-
tive attention, information that enters the senses is preconsciously either attended to or attenuated
depending on its physical properties and activation threshold.
Autonomic function Function controlled by the autonomic nervous system. That is largely unconscious
functions such as heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate etc.
BACNet Communications protocol for building automation and control networks that leverage the
ASHRAE, ANSI, and ISO 16484-5 standard protocol.
Bit Basic unit of information used in computing and digital communications.
Bluetooth Wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile
devices and for building personal area networks (PANs).
Bluetooth Short-range radiofrequency protocol for interdevice communication, used on most current
mobile phones, tablets, and computers.
Byte Unit of digital information that most commonly consists of 8 bits.
Cognitive reserve Individual’s resilience to neurological damage through optimization of damaged
neural resources (e.g., the extent to which the individual uses different neural networks or cognitive
strategies to compensate for damage and to retain functional abilities). It is also often used in place
of/interchangeably with the term “brain reserve,” which refers to the amount of damage a brain can

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