Informative Speech Upgrading Football Equipment

Persuasive Speech Outline Tameka Hannon Topic: Upgrading football equipment is a necessity. General Purpose: To persuade. Specific Purpose: At the end of my speech my audience will know the importance of upgrading football equipment and why it is a necessity. Thesis Statement: Upgraded football equipment will be safer and more effective. Organizational Pattern: Problem-Solution Introduction I. Attention Getter: Have you ever watched a football game and seen a player get hit, and you thought you could practically feel the hit yourself? II. Thesis Statement: Upgraded football equipment will be safer and more effective. III. Relevance: Protecting your love ones should be a number one priority in your life. Even if you have no one in your family currently playing football, this change will help generations to come. IV. Credibility Statement: Recently I have researched this topic with the aid of various academic journals, magazines, books, and newspapers. V. Preview: Today I will talk to you about: A. Physical injuries B. Mental injuries C. Long-term effects, life after football. [Transition: Football is America’s most popular sport. Some 2.5 million kids play the game. College football brings in more than 3 billion a year; the NFL rakes in more than 9 billion (Shotz).] 1. The physical injuries contribute to the leading cause of why football equipment needs an upgrade. As stated before, the profit of the sport should allow aShow MoreRelatedExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pages– how can small players survive changing markets? Amazon (B) – latest developments in a successful dot.com. Formula One – developing the capabilities for competitive success in a hi-tech industry. Manchester United – clash of expectations in the football world. Salvation Army – strategic challenges for a global not-for-profit organisation with a mission. Bayer MS – corporate social responsibility in the international development of a German company. Eurotunnel – clash of cultures threatens to derailRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesmanagement textbook, it is important that you understand its distinctive learner-focused features especially the five-step learning mode l: Skill Assessment, Skill Learning, Skill Analysis, Skill Practice, and Skill Application. You’ll also find informative research on how much managers’ actions impact individual and organizational performance, and the characteristics of effective managers. †¢ Thoughtfully complete the Skill Assessment surveys in each chapter. These diagnostic tools are designed toRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 PagesSimultaneously, theories specify when and where this effect may (or may not) happen, thereby limiting the scope or applicability of the theory to particular circumstances. For instance, the recent relatively poor performance of the Scottish international football team in various competitions might be explained by there being too many foreign players in the top teams that play in the Scottish Premiership League. The hypothesized causal link or reason presented by this theory suggests that Scottish players

The Return Midnight Chapter 11 Free Essays

string(69) " horizon and the blood-red light never varied unless it was raining\." When M. le Princess Jessalyn D’Aubigne had drunk her fil of Damon’s blood – and she was thirsty for such a fragile thing – it was Damon’s turn. He forced himself to remain patient when Jessalyn flinched and frowned at the sight of his ironwood knife. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Midnight Chapter 11 or any similar topic only for you Order Now But Damon teased her and joked with her and played chasing games up and down the enormous bed, and when he final y caught her, she scarcely felt the knife’s sting at her throat. Damon, though, had his mouth on the dark red blood that wel ed out immediately. Everything he’d done, from pouring Black Magic for Bonnie to pouring out the star bal ‘s liquid at the four corners of the Gate to making his way through the defenses of this tiny gem of a castle had been for this. For this moment, when his human palate could savor the nectar that was vampire blood. And it was†¦heavenly! This was only the second time in his life that he’d tasted it as a human. Katerina – Katherine, as he thought of her in English – had been the first, of course. And how she could have crept off after that and gone, wearing just her short muslin shift, to the wide-eyed, inexperienced little boy who was his brother, he would never understand. His disquiet was spreading to Jessalyn. That mustn’t happen. She had to stay calm and tranquil as he took as much as he could of her blood. It wouldn’t hurt her at al , and it meant al the difference to him. Forcing his consciousness away from the sheer elemental pleasure of what he was doing, he began, very careful y, very delicately, to infiltrate her mind. It wasn’t difficult to get to the nub of it. Whoever had wrenched this delicate, fragile-boned girl from the human world and had endowed her with a vampire’s nature hadn’t done her any favors. It wasn’t that she had any moral objections to vampirism. She’d taken to the life easily, enjoying it. She would have made a good huntress in the wild. But in this castle? With these servants? It was like having a hundred snooty waiters and two hundred condescending sommeliers staring her down as soon as she opened her mouth to give an order. This room, for instance. She had wanted some color in it – just a splash of violet here, a little mauve there – natural y, she realized, a vampire princess’s bedchamber had to be mostly black. But when she’d timidly mentioned the subject of colors to one of the parlor maids, the girl had sniffed and looked down her nostrils at Jessalyn as if she’d asked for an elephant to be instal ed just beside her bed. The princess had not had the courage to bring up the matter with the housekeeper, but within a week three baskets ful of black-and-off-black throw pil ows had arrived. There was her â€Å"color.†And in the future would her highness be so good as to consult her housekeeper before querying the staff as to her household whims? She actually said that about my â€Å"whims,† Jessalyn thought as she arched her neck back and ran sharp fingernails through Damon’s thick soft hair. And – oh, it’s no good. I’m no good. I’m a vampire princess, and I can look the part, but I can’t play it. You’re every bit a princess, your highness, Damon soothed. You just need someone to enforce your orders. Someone who has no doubts about your superiority. Are your servants slaves? No, they’re all free. Well, that makes it a little trickier, but you can always yell louder at them. Damon felt swol en with vampire blood. Two more days of this and he would be, if not his old self, then at least almost his old self: a ful vampire, free to walk about the city as he liked. And with the Power and status of a vampire prince. It was almost enough to balance out the horrors he’d gone through in the last couple of days. At least, he could tel himself that and try to believe it. â€Å"Listen,†he said abruptly, letting go of Jessalyn’s slight body, the better to look her in the eye. â€Å"Your glorious highness, let me do one favor for you before I die of love or you have me kil ed for impudence. Let me bring you ‘color’ – and then let me stand beside you if any of your menials grumble about it.† Jessalyn wasn’t used to this kind of sudden decision, but couldn’t help but be carried along with Damon’s fiery excitement. She arched her head back again. When he final y left the bijoux palace, Damon went out the front door. He had with him a little of the money left over from pawning the gems, but this was more than enough for the purpose he had in mind. He was quite certain that the next time he went out, it would be from the flying portico. He stopped at a dozen shops and spent until his last coin was gone. He’d meant to sneak in a visit to Bonnie as wel while doing his errands, but the market was in the opposite direction from the inn where he’d left her, and in the end there just wasn’t time. He didn’t worry much as he walked back to the bijoux castle. Bonnie, soft and fragile as she seemed, had a wiry core that he was sure would keep her inside the room for three days. She could take it. Damon knew she could. He banged on the little castle’s gate until a surly guard opened it. â€Å"What do you want?†the guard spat. Bonnie was bored out of her mind. It had only been a day since Damon had left her – a day she could only count by the number of meals brought to her, since the enormous red sun stood forever on the horizon and the blood-red light never varied unless it was raining. You read "The Return: Midnight Chapter 11" in category "Essay examples" Bonnie wished it was raining. She wished it was snowing, or that there would be a fire or a hurricane or a smal tsunami. She had given one of the star bal s a try, and found it a ridiculous soap opera that she couldn’t understand in the least. She wished, now, that she had never tried to stop Damon from coming here. She wished that he had pried her off before they had both fal en into the hole. She wished that she had grabbed Meredith’s hand and just let go of Damon. And this was only the first day. Damon smiled at the surly guard. â€Å"What do I want? Only what I already have. An open gate.†He didn’t go inside, however. He asked what M. le Princess was doing and heard that she was at a luncheon. On a donor. Perfect. Soon there came a deferential knock at the gate, which Damon demanded be opened wider. The guards clearly didn’t like him; they had properly put together the disappearance of what turned out to be their captain of guard and the intrusion of this strange human. But there was something menacing about him even in this menacing world. They obeyed him. Soon after that there came another quiet knock and then another, and another and so on until twelve men and women with arms ful of damp and fragrant brown paper had quietly fol owed Damon up the stairs and into M. le Princess’s black bedchamber. Jessalyn, meanwhile, had had a long and stuffy post-luncheon meeting, entertaining some of her financial advisors, who both seemed very old to her, although they had been changed in their twenties. Their muscles were soft with lack of use, she found herself thinking. And, natural y, they were dressed in ful -sleeved, wide-legged black except for a fril at their throats, white inside by gaslight, scarlet outside by the eternal blood-red sun. The princess had just seen them bow out of her presence when she inquired, rather irritably, where the human Damon was. Several servants with malice behind their smiles explained that he had gone with a dozen†¦humans†¦up to her bedchamber. Jessalyn almost flew to the stairs and climbed very quickly with the gliding motion that she knew was expected of proper female vampires. She reached the Gothic doors, and heard the hushed sounds of indignant spite as her ladies-in-waiting al whispered together. But before the princess could even ask what was going on, she was engulfed in a great warm wave of scent. Not the luscious and life-sustaining scent of blood, but something lighter, sweeter, and at the moment, while her bloodlust was sated, even headier and more dizzying. She pushed open the double doors. She took a step into her bedchamber and then stopped in astonishment. The cathedral-like black room was ful of flowers. There were banks of lilies, vases ful of roses, tulips in every color and shade, and riots of daffodils and narcissus, while fragrant honeysuckle and freesia lay in bowers. The flower peddlers had converted the gloomy, conventional black room into this fanciful extravaganza. The wiser and more farsighted of M. le Princess’s retainers were actively helping them by bringing in large, ornate urns. Damon, upon seeing Jessalyn enter the room, immediately went to kneel at her feet. â€Å"You were gone when I woke!†the princess said crossly, and Damon smiled, very faintly. â€Å"Forgive me, your highness. But since I am dying anyway, I thought that I should be up and securing these flowers for you. Are the colors and scents satisfactory?† â€Å"The scents?†Jessalyn’s whole body seemed to melt. â€Å"It’s†¦ like†¦an orchestra for my nose! And the colors are like nothing I’ve ever seen!†She burst into laughter, her green eyes lightening, her straight red hair a waterfal around her shoulders. Then she began to stalk Damon back into the gloom in one corner. Damon had to control himself or he would have laughed; it was so much like a kitten stalking an autumn leaf. But once they got into the corner, tangled in the black hangings and nowhere near a window, Jessalyn assumed a deadly serious expression. â€Å"I’m going to have a dress made, just the color of those deep, dark purple carnations,†she whispered. â€Å"Not black.† â€Å"Your highness wil look wonderful in it,†Damon whispered in her ear. â€Å"So striking, so daring – â€Å" â€Å"I may even wear my corsets on the inside of my dress.†She looked up at him through heavy lashes. â€Å"Or – would that be too much?† â€Å"Nothing is too much for you, my princess,†Damon whispered back. He stopped a moment to think seriously. â€Å"The corsets – would they match the dress or be black?† Jessalyn considered. â€Å"Same color?†she ventured. Damon nodded, pleased. He himself wouldn’t be caught dead in any color other than black, but he was wil ing to put up with – even encourage – Jessalyn’s oddities. They might get him made a vampire faster. â€Å"I want your blood,†the princess whispered, as if to prove him right. â€Å"Here? Now?†Damon whispered back. â€Å"In front of al your servants?† Jessalyn surprised him then. She, who had been so timid before, stepped out of the curtains and clapped her hands for silence. It fel immediately. â€Å"Everyone out!†she said peremptorily. â€Å"You have made me a beautiful garden in my room, and I am grateful. The steward† – she nodded toward a young man who was dressed in black, but who had wisely placed a dark red rose in his buttonhole – â€Å"wil see to it that you’re al given food – and drink – before you go!†At this there was a murmur of praise that made the princess blush. â€Å"I’l ring the bel pul when I need you† – to the steward. In fact, it wasn’t until two days later that she reached up and, a little reluctantly, rang the bel pul . And that was merely to give the order that a uniform be made for Damon as quickly as possible. The uniform of captain of her guard. By the second day, Bonnie had to turn to the star bal s as her only source of entertainment. After going through her twenty-eight orbs she found that twenty-five of them were soap operas from beginning to end, and two were ful of experiences so frightening and hideous that she labeled them in her own mind as Never Ever. The last one was cal ed Five Hundred Stories for Young Ones, and Bonnie quickly found that these immersion stories could be useful, for they specified the names of things a person would find around the house and the city. The sphere’s connecting thread was a series about a family of werewolves named the Dz-Aht-Bhi’iens. Bonnie promptly christened them the Dustbins. The series consisted of episodes showing how the family lived each day: how they bought a new slave at the market to replace one who had died, and where they went to hunt human prey, and how Mers Dustbin played in an important bashik tournament at school. Today the last story was almost providential. It showed little Marit Dustbin walking to a Sweetmeat Shop and getting a sugarplum. The candy cost exactly five soli. Bonnie got to experience eating part of it with Marit, and it was good. After reading the story, Bonnie very careful y peeked through the edge of the window blind and saw a sign on a shop below that she’d often watched. Then she held the star bal to her temple. Yes! Exactly the same kind of sign. And she knew not only what she wanted, but how much it should cost. She was dying to get out of her tiny room and try what she had just learned. But before her eyes, the lights in the sweetshop went dark. It must be closing time. Bonnie threw the star bal across the room. She turned the gas lamp down to just the faintest glow, and then flung herself on her rush-fil ed bed, pul ed the covers up†¦and discovered that she couldn’t sleep. Groping in ruby twilight, she found the star bal with her fingers and put it to her temple again. Interspersed with clusters of stories about the Dustbin family’s daily adventures were fairy tales. Most of them were so gruesome that Bonnie couldn’t experience them al the way through, and when it was time to sleep, she lay shivering on her pal et. But this time the story seemed different. After the title, The Gatehouse of the Seven Kitsune Treasures, she heard a little rhyme: Amid a plain of snow and ice There lies kitsune paradise. And close beside, forbidden pleasure: Six gates more of kitsune treasure. The very word kitsune was frightening. But, Bonnie thought, the story might prove relevant somehow. I can do this, she thought and put the star bal to her temple. The story didn’t start with anything gruesome. It was about a young girl and boy kitsune who went on a quest to find the most sacred and secret of the â€Å"seven kitsune treasures,†the kitsune paradise. A treasure, Bonnie learned, could be something as smal as a single gem or as large as an entire world. This one, going by the story, was in the middle range, because a â€Å"paradise†was a kind of garden, with exotic flowers blooming everywhere, and little streams bubbling down smal waterfal s into clear, deep pools. It was al wonderful, Bonnie thought, experiencing the story as if she were watching a movie al around her, but a movie that included the sensations of touch, taste, and smel . The paradise was a bit like Warm Springs, where they sometimes had picnics back at home. In the story, the boy and girl kitsune had to go to â€Å"the top of the world†where there was some kind of fracture in the crust of the highest Dark Dimension – the one Bonnie was in right now. They managed somehow to travel down, and even farther down, and passed through various tests of courage and wit before they got into the next lowest dimension, the Nether World. The Nether World was completely different from the Dark Dimension. It was a world of ice and slippery snow, of glaciers and rifts, al bathed in a blue twilight from three moons that shone from above. The kitsune children almost starved in the Nether World because there was so little for a fox to hunt. They made do with the tiny animals of the cold: mice and smal white voles, and the occasional insect (Oh, yuck, Bonnie thought). They survived until, through the fog and mist, they saw a towering black wal . They fol owed the wal until final y they came to a Gatehouse with tal spires hidden in the clouds. Written above the door in an old language they could hardly read were the words: The Seven Gates. They entered a room in which there were eight doorways or exits. One was the door through which they had just entered. And as they watched, each door brightened so they could see that the other seven doors led to seven different worlds, one of which was the kitsune paradise. Yet another gate led to a field of magical flowers, and another showed butterflies flittering around a splashing fountain. Another dropped to a dark cavern fil ed with bottles of the mystical wine Clarion Loess Black Magic. One gate led to a deep mine, with jewels the size of a fist. And then there was a gate which showed the prize of al flowers: the Royal Radhika. It changed its shape from moment to moment, from a rose to a cluster of carnations to an orchid. Through the last door they could see only a gigantic tree, but the final treasure was rumored to be an immense star bal . Now the boy and girl forgot al about the kitsune paradise. Each of them wanted something from another of the gates, but they couldn’t agree on what. The rule was that any party or group who reached the gates could enter one and then return. But while the girl wanted a sprig of the Royal Radhika, to show that they’d completed their quest, the boy wanted some Black Magic wine, to sustain them on the way back. No matter how they argued they couldn’t reach an agreement. So final y they decided to cheat. They would simultaneously open a door and jump through, snatch what they wanted, and then jump back out and be out of the Gatehouse before they could be caught. Just as they were about to do so, a voice warned them against it, saying, â€Å"One gate alone may you twain enter, and then return from whence you came.† But the boy and the girl chose to ignore the voice. Immediately, the boy entered the door that led to the bottles of Black Magic wine and at the same instant the girl stepped into the Royal Radhika door. But when each turned around there was no longer any sign of a door or gate behind them. The boy had plenty to drink but he was left forever in the dark and cold and his tears froze upon his cheeks. The girl had the beautiful flower to look at but nothing to eat or drink and so under the glowing yel ow sun she wasted away. Bonnie shivered, the delicious shiver of a reader who had gotten what she expected. The fairy tale, with its moral of â€Å"don’t be greedy†was like the stories she’d heard from the Red and the Blue Fairy Books when she was a child sitting on her grandmother’s lap. She missed Elena and Meredith, badly. She had a story to tel , but no one to tel it to. How to cite The Return: Midnight Chapter 11, Essay examples

The Reproductive System Outline free essay sample

The Reproductive system The gonads or primary sex organs: testes in men, and ovaries in women. a. Produce sex cells or gametes, and secrete sex hormones Male and female reproductive systems are different. Sex hormones play vital roles both in the development and function of the reproductive organs. Anatomy of the male reproductive system A. Testes Plum-sized and approx. 4cm long and 2. 5cm wide Fibrous connective tissue capsules, te tunica albuginea surrounds each testis. Each lobule contains one to four tightly coiled seminiferous tubules. . The seminiferous tubules of each lobe empty sperm into another set of tubules, the rete testis, located at one side of the testis. Sperm travel through the rete testis to enter the first part of the duct system, the epididymis, which hugs the external surface of the testis. The interstitial cells produce androgens-the most important of which testosterone. Thus sperm-producing and hormone producing functions of the testes are carried out by compl etely different cell populations. B. Duct System a. Epididymis 1. The cup shaped epididymis is a highly coiled tube about 6m long that caps the superior part of the testis and then runs down its posterolateral side. 2. It’s the first part of the male duct system and provides a temporary home for immature sperm. 3. The sperm travel this long tube that takes about 20 days to mature, gaining the ablility to swim. 4. When the male is sexually stimulated, he ejaculates, the walls of the epididymis contract to expel the sperm into the next part of the duct system, the ductus deferens. b. Ductus Deferens 1. This is also often referred to as the vas deferens. . It runs upward from the epididymis through the inguinal canal to the pelvic cavity and arches over the superior aspect of the urinary bladder. It then loops medially over the ureter and descends along the posterior bladder wall. 3. This tube is enclosed, along with blood vessels and nerves, in a connective tissue sheath called the spermatic cord. a. This travels upward through the inguinal ca nal. 4. The end of the ductus deferens expands at the apulla and then empties into the ejaculatory duct. b. The ejaculatory duct passes through the prostate gland to merge with the urethra. . The main function is to propel live sperm from their storage sites, epididymis and distal part of the ductus deferens into the urethra. 6. When ejaculation occurs, the thick layers of smooth muscle in its walls create peristaltic waves that rapidly squeeze sperm forward. 7. Part of the ductus deferens lies in the scrotum, which hangs outside the body. c. Urethra 1. It extends from the base of the urinary bladder to the tip of the penis, is the terminal part of the male duct system. 2. 3 named regions: prostatic urethra, membranous, spongy (penile) urethra. 3. The male urethra carries both sperm and urine to the body exterior. * ? Urine and sperm never pass at the same time. C. Accessory Glands and Semen d. Seminal Vesicles 1. Located at the base of the bladder, produce about 60% of seminal fluid, the fluid volume of semen. 2. Their thick, yellowish secretion is rich in sugar, vitamin C, prostaglandins, and other substances, which nourish and activate the sperm passing through the tract. 3. Sperm and seminal fluid enter the urethra together during ejaculation. * b. Prostate 1. A single doughnut shaped gland about the size of a peach pit. . Prostate gland secretion is a milky fluid that plays a role in activating sperm. 3. During ejaculation, the fluid enters the urethra though several small ducts. * c. Bulbourethral Glands 1. Tiny pea-sized glands inferior to the prostate gland 2. They produce a thick, clear mucous that drains into the penile urethra. a. This secretion is the first to pass down the urethra when a man becomes sexually excit ed. It cleanses the urethra, and serves as a lubricant during sexual intercourse. * d. Semen 1. A milky white, somewhat sticky mix of sperm and accessory gland secretions. 2. It acts as a transport medium for nutrients chemicals that protect sperm aid their movement. 3. The alkalinity of the semen helps neutralize the acidic environment of the female’s vagina, protecting the sperm. 4. It also contains seminalplasmin- an antibiotic chemical that destroys certain bacteria- the hormone relaxin, certain enzymes that enhance sperm motility, and substances that inhibit an immune response in the female reproductive tract. 5. During ejaculation 2-5 ml of semen are released, but there are between 50-150 million sperm in each ml. * D. External Genitalia 1. Includes: scrotum, and the penis . The scrotum is a divided sac of skin that hangs outside the abdominal cavity, between the legs and at the root of the penis. 3. Provides testes with a temp that is below body temp. a. Viable sperm cannot be produced at normal body temp. 4. The penis is designed to deliver sperm into the female reproductive tract. 5. The skin covered penis consists of a shaft, which ends in an enlarged tip, the glands penis. 6. The skin covering the penis is loose, and it folds downward to form a cuff of skin, the prepuce, or foreskin. 7. Erectile tissue: a spongy tissue that fills with blood during sexual excitement. . Causes penis to become larger and rigid. c. This event is called an erection, helps the penis serve as a penetrating organ to deliver the semen into the female’s reproductive tract. Male Reproductive Functions * 1. The chief role is to produce sperm and the hormone testosterone. A. Spermatogenesis 1. The production of sperm a. It begins at puberty and continues throughout life. 2. The process is begun by primitive stem cells called Spermatogonia. b. They go through rapid mitotic divisions to build up the stem cell line. 3. During puberty, follicle stimulating hormone is secreted in increasing mounts by the anterior pituitary gland. 4. In spermatogenesis, the gametes are called spermatids 5. The last stage of sperm development is called Spermi ogenesis. 6. The head of the sperm contains the DNA 7. Anterior to the helmet-like acrosome, which is produced by the Golgi apparatus and is similar to a large lysosome. 8. The entire process of spermatogenesis, from the formation of primary spermatocyte to release of immature sperm in the tubule lumen, takes 64 to 72 days. B. Testosterone 1. The most important hormonal product of the testes. 2. The interstitial cells are being activated by luteinizing hormone (LH) 3. It stimulates the adolescent growth spurt, prods his reproductive organs to develop to their adult size, underlies the sex drive, and causes the secondary male sex characteristics to appear. 4. Secondary sex characteristics: features introduced in nonreproductive organs by sex hormones. Ex: deepening of voice, increased hair growth, more muscle mass. Anatomy of the Female Reproductive System * 1. Ovaries: the primary female reproductive organs. * 2. The other organs of the reproductive system serve as accessory structures to transport, nurture, or otherwise serve the needs of the reproductive cells and/or the developing fetus. A. Ovaries 1. The paired ovaries are shaped like almonds but are nearly twice as large. 2. The many tiny sac like structures inside are called ovarian follicles. 3. Oocyte: an immature egg cell 4. As the egg begins to develop within the follicle enlarges and develops a fluid filled central region called an antrum. 5. In the event of ovulation the egg is released from the follicle. 6. Ovulation usually occurs every 28 days, but it could occur more or less frequently. 7. The ovaries are secured to the lateral walls of the pelvis by the suspensory ligaments. B. Duct system 1. The uterine tubes, uterus, and vagina form the duct system. * a. Uterine (fallopian) tubes 1. Initial point of the duct system. 2. They receive the ovulated oocyte and provide a site for fertilization. 3. About 10cm long, and extends medially from an ovary to empty into the superior region of the uterus. 4. The distal end of each uterine tube expands as the funnel-shaped infundibulum, which has finger like projections called fimbriae. 5. The fimbriae wave to create fluid currents that act to carry the oocyte into the uterine tube, where it begins the journey toward the uterus. . Because the journey to the uterus takes 3 to 4 days and the oocyte is viable for up to 24 hours after ovulation. 7. The usual site for fertilization * b. Uterus 1. Located in the pelvis between the urinary bladder and the rectum 2. A hollow organ that functions to receive, retain, and nourish a fertilized egg. 3. The major portion of the uterus is referred to as the body. The superior rounded region above the entrance of the uterine tubes is the fundus, and its narrow outlet, which protrudes into the vagina below, is the cervix. 4. There are 3 layers: endometrium, myometrium, and the perimetrium. * c. Vagina 1. A thin walled tube 8 to 10 cm long. Lies between the bladder and the rectum and extends from the cervix to the body exterior. 2. It receives the penis during sexual intercourse 3. The distal end of the vagina is partially closed by a thin fold of the mucosa called the hymen. a. The hymen is usually ruptured during penetration for the first time and it usually bleeds. b. Sometimes it will break before during sports, tampon use, or a physical examination. c. In some rare cases it has to be cut surgically. C. External Genitalia (vulva) 1. Includes: mons pubis, labia, clitoris, urethral and vaginal orifices, and greater vestibular glands. 2. The mons pubis is a fatty, rounded area overlying the pubic symphasis. b. After puberty this area is covered in hair. 1. The labia majora: two elongated hair-covered skin folds that enclose two delicate, hair-free folds, the labia minora. 2. The greater vestibular glands are mucous producing glands that flan the vagina. 3. The clitoris is a small, protruding structure that corresponds to the male penis. Female Reproductive Functions and Cycles A. Oogenesis and the ovarian cycle 1. The period in which a women’s reproductive capability gradually declines and then finally ends is called menopause. 2. Oogenesis: the process in which gametes are produced. 3. In the developing female fetus, oogonia, the female stem cells, multiply rapidly to increase their number, and then their daughter cells, primary oocytes. 4. The ovarian cycle is the changes that occur monthly in the ovary 5. At puberty there may be around 250,000 oocytes and each month one should be released but in some women more are released. . The larger cell is a secondary oocyte and the tiny cell is a polar body. 7. When ovulation occurs some women experience low abdomen pain; cramps. 8. If the ovulated secondary oocyte is penetrated by a sperm in one of the uterine tubes, the oocyte undergoes the second meiotic division that produces another polar body and an ovum. B. Uterine (menstrual) cycle 1. The events of this changes that the endometrium, or mucosa of th e uterus, goes through month after month as it responds to changes in the levels of ovarian hormones in the blood. 2. There are three stages of the menstrual cycle a. Day 1-5: Menstrual phase b. Day 6-14: Proliferative phase c. Day 15-28: Secretory phase 3. Some menstrual cycles can be as short as 21 days and as long as 40 day Events of Embryonic and fetal development 1. An oocyte is fertilizable for up to 24 hours after release; sperm are viable within the female reproductive tract for up to 48 hours. Hundreds of sperm must release their acrosomal enzymes to break down the egg’s plasma membrane 2. The early stage of embryonic development when the cell is dividing is called cleavage. . Cleavage provides a large number of cells to serve as building blocks for constructing the embryo. 4. The chorionic villi combine to form the placenta. a. Once the placenta has formed, the plate-like embryonic body, now surrounded by a fluid-filled sac called the amnion, is attached to the placenta by a blood vessel-containing stalk of tissue, the umbilical cord. b. The placenta serves respiratory, nutritive, a nd excretory needs of the embryo and produces hormones of pregnancy. 5. At week 9 the embryo is now referred to as a fetus 6. By approx. 70 days after fertilization the fetus is said to be full term and is ready to be born. 7. A pregnant woman has increased respiratory, circulatory, and urinary demands placed on her system by the developing fetus. Good nutrition is necessary to produce a healthy baby. 8. Childbirth (parturition) includes a series of events called labor. It is initiated by several but most importantly by rising levels of oxytocin and prostaglandins, which promote vigorous uterine contractions. 9. There are 3 stages of labor are dilation, expulsion, and placental. Developmental Aspects of the Reproductive System . Puberty: the period of life generally between ages of 10 and 15 2. Reproductive system structures of males and females are identical during early development. a. Gonads begin to develop in the 8th week. b. The presence or absence of testosterone determines w hether male or female accessory reproductive organs are formed. 3. Important congenital defects result from abnormal separation of sex chromosomes during sex cell formation. 4. The reproductive system is inactive during childhood. c. Reproductive organs mature and become functional for childbearing at puberty. . The first menstrual period, called menarche, usually occurs about 2years later. 6. Common reproductive problems during young adulthood are infections of the reproductive tract. d. Females: neoplasms of breast and cervix are major threats e. Males: prostate cancer is the most common reproductive system cancer seen in men. 7. During menopause, female reproductive capabilities end, and reproductive organs begin to atrophy. f. Hot flashes and mood changes may occur. g. Reproductive capacity does not appear to decline significantly in aging men.