Cervical effacement (also called cervical ripening) refers to a thinning of the cervix. It is a component of the Bishop score. It can be expressed as a percentage. Prior to effacement, the cervix is like a long bottleneck, usually about four centimeters in length. Throughout pregnancy, the cervix is tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. When the cervix effaces, the mucus plug is loosened and passes out of the vagina.
A reflex arc is a neural pathway that controls a reflex action. In higher animals, most sensory neurons do not pass directly into the brain, but synapse in the spinal cord.hen the patellar tendon is tapped just below the knee, the patellar reflex is initiated and the lower leg kicks forward (via contraction of the quadriceps). The tap initiates an action potential in a specialized structure known as a muscle spindle located within the quadriceps.
Doctors often trigger this reflex to test the function of your nervous system. If the reaction is exaggerated or absent, it may indicate a damage to the central nervous system. Autonomic reflexes. Most reflexes go completely unnoticed because they don't involve a visible and sudden movement. reflex action often involves a very simple nervous pathway called a reflex arc. A reflex arc starts off with receptors being excited. They then send signals along a sensory neuron to your spinal cord, where the signals are passed on to a motor neuron.