carrier

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A periodic waveform upon which an information-bearing signal is impressed. This process is known as modulation and comprises a variety of forms such as amplitude, phase, and frequency modulation. The most common type of carrier is the sinusoidal carrier, but any periodic waveform followed by a band-pass filter can serve as a carrier. See also Amplitude modulation; Frequency modulation; Modulation; Phase modulation.

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Insurance company that actually underwrites and issues the insurance policy. The term is used because the insurance company assumes or carries the risk for policyowners. The agent usually has a primary carrier ( the insurance company to which most of the business is submitted) and secondary carriers (to which lesser amounts are submitted). The primary carrier provides the agent with commission schedules, expense allowance, and the availability of markets for the agent’s business.

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noun

A person who carries messages or is sent on errands: bearer, conveyer, courier, envoy, messenger, runner, transporter. See over/under.

The Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, published by the American Public Health Association, defines a carrier as a person or animal that harbors a specific infectious agent without discernable clinical disease and serves as a potential source of infection. Several varieties of carrier are recognized.

Healthy or Asymptomatic Carriers

These are persons who harbor an infectious agent but never fall ill or manifest any overt evidence that they are infected. This commonly happens with certain virus diseases, such as several forms of viral hepatitis and poliomyelitis, and with some bacterial diseases, including diphtheria and meningococcal meningitis. The pathogenic organisms responsible for these and other diseases in this category live as commensal organisms in the carrier's respiratory and/or gastrointestinal tract, apparently coexisting without causing disease because the host is not susceptible to infection or because the organisms are not virulent. Carriers of the diphtheria bacillus, meningococcus, or other organisms in this category manifest no symptoms or signs of infection, but the organisms can be recovered from their nose, throat, or from their feces. Moreover, appropriate serological tests may reveal evidence of inapparent infection. Animals and birds can be carriers of some human diseases. For instance, jungle yellow fever is carried by monkeys and possibly other jungle-dwelling small mammals. The rabies virus, which is almost invariably fatal when humans are infected and not protected immediately by antirabies vaccine, is carried by bats who seem to suffer no ill effects at all. Salmonella organisms may be carried by many varieties of animals and birds—cattle, rodents, pets such as dogs and cats, tortoises, chickens, ducks—and of course by humans. Some may be healthy carriers, and others are chronic carriers who were infected at some time in the past and have not stopped harboring and excreting the infectious agent.

Incubatory and Convalescent Carriers

The pathogenic organisms that cause many diseases can infect healthy people who come into contact with the person harboring the pathogen either during the incubation period or during convalescence. One of the reasons that measles is so highly infectious is that it is at its most contagious stage shortly before the characteristic rash appears. Experienced family physicians and pediatricians soon learn how to recognize children in the incubation period of measles and do their best to minimize transmission by isolating children with a dry cough, red eyes, and fever. Although we should no longer have to be concerned about the risks of transmitting measles when virtually all children are immunized, occasional outbreaks still occur, so continuing vigilance is necessary. Some types of the common cold can similarly be transmitted during the incubation period.

Many diseases remain infectious for a time after the acute stage has passed and the sick person has become apparently well again. Persons in this category are convalescent carriers, and are the most frequent source of infection for others. The common cold is very often transmitted by incubatory and convalescent carriers—and, of course, by those who carry on with their normal activities without acknowledgment and treatment of their cold. Convalescent carriers can be a serious problem with many forms of diarrheal diseases, notably shigella and sonne dysentery. Investigation of outbreaks of diarrhea often reveals that the source of infection is a carrier who works as a cook or food handler in a restaurant. Among the best known, though rare, carrier states in this category, is typhoid. Convalescent cases can remain infectious for long periods, especially when typhoid bacilli lurk in such organs as the gall bladder, whence they are excreted in the feces. Typhoid carriers commonly have had overt disease at some time in the past and continue to carry typhoid bacilli, which they excrete and thereby expose others to infection. But some typhoid carriers have no history of overt disease in the past. The infamous Typhoid Mary may have been an example. The convalescent carrier state may be temporary, lasting only until residual symptoms disappear, or it may be prolonged, chronic, or even permanent.

A very important category of carrier state occurs with many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection. Persons with STDs and HIV are more often outwardly well than overtly unwell, and all too often they are sexually active. There are many recorded instances of a sexually promiscuous person with gonorrhea infecting one hundred or more people over a relatively short period.

(SEE ALSO: Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Typhoid; Typhoid Mary; Universal Precautions)

Bibliography

Chiu, J., ed. (2000). Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 17th edition. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.

Last, J. M. (1997). Public Health and Human Ecology, 2nd edition. Stanford, CA: Appleton and Lange.

— JOHN M. LAST

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1. A mobile prime mover for transporting construction machines; also may serve as the working base or undercarriage of the machine.
2. A container attached to or hung from a trolley for moving a load from one point to another on a construction site.
3. A carrier angle or carrier bar which supports treads formed from metal grating.

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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

Individuals or businesses that are employed to deliver people or property to an agreed destination.

The two main types of carriers are common carriers and private carriers. A common carrier, such as a railroad, airline, or business that offers public transportation, customarily transports property and individuals from one location to another, thus offering its services for the hire of the general population. A private carrier is employed by special agreement only and reserves the right to accept or reject employment as a carrier. Private carriers include chartered cargo planes, ships, and buses and are generally not subject to the same regulatory restrictions as common carriers.

Common carriers engaged in interstate transportation are regulated on the federal level pursuant to the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which provides that "[t]he Congress shall have Power … [t]o regulate Commerce … among the several States" (art. I, § 8, cl. 3). The government, through the Interstate Commerce Act (49 U.S.C.A. § 10101 et seq.), traditionally regulated charges for interstate transportation by common carriers. Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, deregulation of the trucking industry reduced government involvement in establishing rates. Unless a statute states otherwise, a common carrier has broad authority to fix transportation rates so long as the rates are reasonable. In determining whether a rate is reasonable, a number of elements are considered. The most essential is the cost of transportation to the carrier, and others include the character and value of the items to be shipped; their weight, bulk, and ability to be handled; and the mileage to be covered. Though common carriers have a great deal of freedom to set interstate rates, they must follow procedures set forth by the Interstate Commerce Commission, including filing rates with the commission and publishing them.

A state possesses the authority to monitor and control the management and functions of common carriers operating within its borders and may set the prices charged by carriers doing business within the state. Most state laws require common carriers to file rate schedules with a state regulatory commission.

A common carrier is obligated to provide the necessary facilities to transport the volume of goods expected and to exercise the reasonable care needed to transport the goods safely. In the case of perishable goods, such as frozen or fresh foods, the common carrier must provide refrigerated or ventilated cars to ensure their safe transportation. Likewise, when transporting livestock, a common carrier is required to provide adequate ventilation, bedding, and partitions. The common carrier may be liable for loss or injury to the livestock resulting from defects in the cars it uses to transport the animals.

The carrier must follow any specific shipping directives provided by the shipper and if any instructions are ambiguous, the carrier must hold the goods until the shipper provides clarification. The shipper can select the route and manner by which the goods can be transported, but if no route is specified, the carrier is free to choose any convenient route that does not result in delay to the shipper.

Subject to some exceptions, a common carrier is absolutely liable for loss or damage to the goods it receives for shipment. A common carrier is not liable for loss or injury to goods brought about by an act of God, an event such as an unforeseeable flood that could be neither caused nor prevented through the exercise of proper care on the part of the carrier. A carrier could, however, be liable for an act of God if it is guilty of negligence after the discovery of an accident. For example, a fire started by lightning would ordinarily be considered an act of God, but if the carrier discovered it early and did nothing to abate it, the carrier could still be liable for failing to exercise due diligence.

In addition, a common carrier is not liable for a loss of goods when the loss is caused by the destruction or appropriation of the goods by the military forces of a "public enemy" at war with the domestic government. However, merely a declaration of martial law will not relieve the common carrier of liability, and groups who are not functioning as military forces against the government are not considered public enemies. Thus, a common carrier remains liable for a loss of goods resulting from the acts of a mob, rioters, and strikers, even if the carrier was not negligent and took all possible precautions to prevent the loss.

A carrier will not be held liable for injuries to goods that occur as a result of the shipper's negligence or misconduct. Furthermore, when the nature or value of the goods to be shipped is fraudulently concealed or misrepresented by the shipper, whether to obtain a lower shipping rate or for any other purpose, the carrier is not liable for any losses incurred. Fraud can be established by the shipper's silence regarding the value of the goods or by untruthful statements made by the shipper. If the shipper failed to notify the carrier about the nature of the contents of a particular shipment, the carrier is ordinarily exempt from liability if a loss occurs, even if the loss is due to negligence on the part of the carrier.

A common carrier can restrict its liability for damages by clear and unambiguous terms contained in its contract with the shipper. Questions concerning the validity of such agreements are resolved by state law when shipments within a state are involved and federal law is applied to contractual disputes concerning interstate shipments. A contractual provision releasing the carrier from liability must not contravene public policy and a carrier that departs from the usual method or route for shipment may not rely upon any limitations on liability contained in the contract.

Some common carriers, like public buses and taxis, transport people from one place to another. A common carrier of passengers, also known as a public carrier, transports for hire all persons (within certain limitations) as a regular business and represents itself as being engaged in such a business. A public carrier can deny carriage to people who refuse to comply with its reasonable regulations, who are likely to present danger to other passengers, or who in some way interfere with the safe carriage of passengers.

Common carriers of passengers are subject to extensive regulation by state and federal governments. Many states, for example, require by law that common carriers be inspected annually in order to protect people from the hazards of riding in vehicles that are poorly maintained. A common carrier that transports passengers may also make its own rules and regulations provided they are reasonable and will protect the interests of both the carrier and the passengers.

A carrier of passengers is liable for injuries suffered by passengers as a result of its negligence, but is not an insurer of its passengers' safety. Instead, a common carrier is required to act with the utmost care, skill, and diligence to protect the safety of its passengers as may be mandated by the type of transportation provided and the risk of danger inherent in it. Conversely, a private carrier of passengers must act with only reasonable care and diligence unless the contract for carriage provides otherwise, though some jurisdictions hold a private carrier to the same duty as that applied to common carriers.

Determining whether a carrier is a common carrier, and thus subject to a higher standard of care, has been the subject of some litigation in recent years. For example, a California federal district court held in early 1995 that Disneyland, as the operator of an amusement park ride, qualified as a common carrier and thus should be held to a duty of utmost care and diligence for the safety of its passengers even though the chief purpose of the ride was to entertain and not transport travelers (Neubauer v. Disneyland, 875 F. Supp. 672 [C.D. Cal. 1995]). As a result, Disneyland was held liable for injuries the plaintiffs suffered when their boat on an amusement ride was rammed from behind by another boat. The court looked to the broad definition of a common carrier contained in state law and held that any narrowing of the term carrier should take place in the legislature and not in the court.

Some courts have considered whether the age of the passenger affects the duty owed by a common carrier. The Iowa Supreme Court, for example, in 1995 considered whether a school bus owed an additional duty to a child injured as he was struck by a car after safely alighting the bus (Burton ex rel. Hawkeye Bank of Des Moines v. Des Moines Metropolitan Transit, 530 N.W.2d 696 [Iowa]). The court declined to extend the duty owed by drivers of school buses to ensure the safety of children alighting the vehicles, holding that the bus company had no duty beyond that owed by a common carrier to protect child passengers from dangers that may reasonably and naturally be anticipated. According to the court, once a passenger alights safely, the passenger (even when he or she is a child) is better able to guard against the danger of moving vehicles; thus, public policy did not support extending a carrier's duty of care to include ensuring that the passenger safely crosses the street.

Unless the carrier is negligent, it is not responsible to a passenger for injuries due to natural causes and due to causes beyond the carrier's control. A common carrier of passengers cannot ordinarily release itself from liability for injuries to a passenger caused by either willful, wrongful conduct or negligence on the part of the carrier. In some jurisdictions, though, a carrier can limit its liability for negligence in exchange for providing a reduced fare or free pass. However, such limitations on liability may be invalid if the reduced fare is not made optional and if passengers are not permitted to buy tickets that provide that the carrier's liability is not limited.

Like common carriers that transport goods, carriers of passengers have also been subject to deregulation by the federal government. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 (49 U.S.C.A. § 334, 1301 et seq.) gave airlines almost complete discretion over rates, routes, and services offered. Prior to passage of the act, the Civil Aeronautics Board, a federal agency, exercised exclusive control over pricing in the airline industry.

More recent federal legislation has also affected the responsibilities of carriers to their employees and passengers. In 1990 Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (42 U.S.C.A. § 12201 et seq.), which prohibits employment discrimination against a qualified individual with a disability. The ADA further prohibits a carrier covered by the act from discriminating against a qualified individual with a disability because of that disability in regard to job application procedures, hiring, advancement, discharge, compensation, training, and other terms and conditions of employment. The ADA then sets forth in some detail the procedures that the carrier must follow in screening, interviewing, and hiring employees to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not subject to discrimination. In particular, the ADA requires that a carrier provide "reasonable accommodation" for the physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the carrier can show that the accommodation would impose an "undue hardship" on business. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a job, practice, or work environment that makes it possible for an individual with a disability to enjoy an equal employment opportunity. An undue hardship has been defined as an action that is unduly costly, extensive, substantial, or disruptive or that would fundamentally alter the nature or operation of the carrier's business.

The ADA has also affected the scope of a carrier's responsibility to its passengers. Under the ADA, carriers of passengers such as buses and rail systems must ensure that their facilities are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities by providing lifts, ramps, or other mechanisms. Airlines, which are not specifically covered by the ADA, are prohibited from discriminating against disabled individuals under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), 49 U.S.C.A. § 1301 note, 1374, 1374 note, which was enacted in 1986. The ACAA provides that "[n]o air carrier may discriminate against any … handicapped individual, by reason of such handicap, in the provision of air transportation" (42 U.S.C.A. § 1374). Like the ADA, it further provides that air carriers must make "reasonable accommodations" for disabled individuals traveling by air.

See: Airlines; Disabled Persons.

IN BRIEF: n. - (genetics) an organism that possesses a recessive gene whose effect is masked by a dominant allele; Conveyer; A large warship that holds planes and has a long flat deck for takeoffs and landings; A rack attached to a vehicle.

Happiness is contagious. Be a carrier!! — Robert Orben 

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The base of the flavor. For example, starch, maltodextrin, flour, sugar, etc., are carriers for dry products. Propylene glycol, glycerine, alcohol, or water is a carrier for water-soluble liquid systems. Vegetable oil, benzyl alcohol, or triacetin are carriers for oil-soluble liquid systems. Emulsifying agents like polysorbates, or mixed monoand diglycerides, can be used as carriers as well. See Solution, Application Rate, Suggested Usage Level.

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1. any known or putative component of a biological membrane that effects the transfer of a specific substance or group of related substances from one side of the membrane to the other. The mechanism is supposedly a cyclic process, involving combination of the carrier with the substance(s) on one side of the membrane, diffusion of the combined form across the membrane, release of the substance(s) on the far side, and diffusion of the carrier back across the membrane in uncombined form. See also facilitated diffusion, permease, translocation, transport.
2. any component of a biological fluid (e.g. a blood protein) that can combine with a specific substance (e.g. a hormone or metabolite) and transport it from one part of the organism to another.
3. (in enzymology) any substance undergoing reversible combination with a metabolite or reversible oxidation-reduction and thereby carrying the metabolite, electron(s), or hydrogen atom(s) between enzymes or cellular organelles, or into cells. Some coenzymes may act as carriers. See electron carrier, hydrogen carrier.
4. a substance that is mixed with a reagent or other substance to facilitate the chemical or physical manipulation of the latter. The carrier is commonly of similar constitution and/or properties to the reagent, and present at relatively high concentration. The term is used especially for the nonradioactive chemical counterpart of a radionuclide or of a compound containing a radionuclide, whether deliberately added or present from the time of initial preparation of the radioactive substance. Compare carrier-free.
5. (in chromatography) the mobile phase or a component thereof. See carrier ampholyte, carrier displacement chromatography, carrier gas.
6. or matrix the inert support material to which a small molecule, biopolymer, cell fragment, or intact cell is artificially linked to form an immobilized or insolubilized derivative. See also microcarrier.
7. any vesiculated structure within which a biologically active substance (e.g. a drug or enzyme) is artificially incorporated, commonly to protect the substance from degradation and/or to direct it to a target organ upon injection into the bloodstream. Such a carrier may be either artificial (e.g. a liposome) or of natural origin (e.g. an erythrocyte ghost).
8. (in immunochemistry) any substance of high M_r (e.g. a protein) to which a non- or poorly immunogenic substance (e.g. a hapten) is naturally or artificially linked to enhance its immunogenicity.
9. (in genetics) any individual who is heterozygous for a specified recessive allele and who thus does not normally display any characteristic (e.g. a disease) associated with that allele but who may, with appropriate mating, produce homozygous offspring that exhibit the recessive characteristic.
10. (in pathology) any individual who harbours a specified infectious microorganism without showing signs of disease, and is capable of transmitting the microorganism to others. Compare vector (def. 2). See also vehicle.

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1. an animal which harbors a disease organism in its body without manifest signs, thus acting as a carrier or distributor of infection. A carrier may be one with a latent infection and which appears healthy. Other types of carriers are the incubatory carrier, when the animal is not yet showing clinical signs, or a convalescent carrier when it has passed the clinical stage.
2. a heterozygote, i.e. an animal which carries a recessive gene, autosomal or sex-linked, together with its normal allele.
3. an edible material used in the formulation of processed feeds. The carrier is used to absorb or attach other ingredients by impregnation or coating so that they are evenly mixed throughout the feed.

• c. detection — in genetic terms the detection of a heterozygote which carries the gene which is under investigation.
• c. effect — use of a hapten conjugated to a carrier protein in a primary immune response will result in a secondary immune response to the same combination, but not to the hapten alone or in association with a different carrier protein.
• c. register — in genetic terms is a list of all the animals which have produced an affected offspring.
• c. state — the state of being a carrier of an infectious disease or of a genetic defect.
• c. test herd — a herd consisting entirely of known carriers of a gene which is under investigation; a definition which could be extended to include a herd comprising only individuals known to carry a specific infectious agent.

n

1. a person harboring a specific infectious agent without clinical evidence of disease and who serves as a potential source or reservoir of infection for others. May be a healthy or convalescent carrier. n 2. the party of the dental plan contract who agrees to pay claims or provide service. Also called insurer, under-writer, and administrative agent. See also third party.

For a list of words related to carrier, see:

• Diagnostic Terminology - carrier: individual that harbors pathogen without displaying symptoms
• Cell Structure and Function - carrier: integral membrane protein that combines with specific molecules, enabling them to pass through membrane
• pigeon
• Commercial Airlines, Airports, and Air Force - carrier: airliner; commercial airline
• Types of Ships and Boats - carrier: aircraft carrier
• Wagons, Carts, and Sleds - carrier: device used to contain and transport articles; baby’s reclining plastic seat, carried by a person
• Postal Service - carrier: person who delivers mail
• Insurance - carrier: insurance company, insurer

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See words rhyming with "carrier."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Carrier.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - bærer, bud, beholder til forsendelse, bagagebærer, lad, fragtskib, smittebærer

idioms:

• carrier bag    bærepose
• carrier pigeon    brevdue

Nederlands (Dutch)
drager, transportbedrijf, vervoerder, bagagedrager

Français (French)
n. - transporteur, compagnie aérienne, porteur (d'une maladie), (GB) sac (en papier ou en plastique)

idioms:

• carrier bag    (GB) sac (en papier ou en plastique), sac à provisions
• carrier pigeon    pigeon voyageur

Deutsch (German)
n. - Träger, Transportunternehmen, Spediteur, Gepäckträger

idioms:

• carrier bag    Tragetasche
• carrier pigeon    Brieftaube

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μεταφορέας, μεταφορική εταιρεία, ξενιστής ή φορέας (νόσου κ.λπ.), (χημ.) παράγων αντίδρασης

idioms:

• carrier bag    σακούλα για ψώνια
• carrier pigeon    ταχυδρομικό περιστέρι

Italiano (Italian)
portatore, portabagagli, impresa di trasporti, spedizioniere, portapacchi, bagagliaio

idioms:

• carrier bag    borsa-valigia
• carrier pigeon    piccione viaggiatore

Português (Portuguese)
n. - carregador (m), portadora (f), distribuidor (m), veículo (m), porta-malas (m)

idioms:

• aircraft carrier    porta-aviões (m)
• carrier bag    sacola (f) de compras
• carrier pigeon    pombo-correio (m)

Русский (Russian)
носильщик, перевозчик, транспортный агент, багажник

idioms:

• aircraft carrier    авианосец
• carrier bag    сумка для покупок
• carrier pigeon    почтовый голубь

Español (Spanish)
n. - mensajero, empresa de transportes, transportista, maletero, portaequipajes

idioms:

• carrier bag    saco de plástico, bolsa de papel
• carrier pigeon    paloma mensajera

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - bärare, åkare, transportföretag, transportmedel, pakethållare, smittbärare

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
运送者, 带菌者, 邮递员

idioms:

• carrier bag    装物的手提厚纸袋
• carrier pigeon    传信鸽

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 運送者, 帶菌者, 郵遞員

idioms:

• carrier bag    裝物的手提厚紙袋
• carrier pigeon    傳信鴿

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 운반인, 운반설비, 항공 모함, 보균자

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 運搬人, 郵便配達人, 運搬車, 航空母艦, 担体, 搬送波, 保有者, 保菌者, 保因者, 荷台

idioms:

• carrier bag    買い物袋
• carrier pigeon    伝書鳩, 伝書バト, 肉垂の大きい家バト

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حامله الطائرات, حامل المرض أو الجراثيم, الموجه الحامله, الناقل, الرسول, الحمال‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נשא, נושא, נושאת-מטוסים, סבל, חברת-הובלה, משאית, חומר מזרז או רדיו-אקטיבי, אלקטרון‬

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