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Parasites often coinfect host populations, and, by interacting within hosts, might change the trajectory of multi-parasite epidemics. However, host-parasite interactions often change with host age, raising the possibility that within-host interactions between parasites might also change, influencing the spread of disease. We measured how heterospecific parasites interacted within zooplankton hosts and how host age changed these interactions. We then parameterized an epidemiological model to explore how age-effects altered the impact of coinfection on epidemic dynamics. In our model, we found that in populations where epidemiologically relevant parameters did not change with age, the presence of a second parasite altered epidemic dynamics. In contrast, when parameters varied with host age (based on our empirical measures), there was no longer a difference in epidemic dynamics between singly and coinfected populations, indicating that variable age structure within a population eliminates the impact of coinfection on epidemic dynamics. Moreover, infection prevalence of both parasites was lower in populations where epidemiologically relevant parameters changed with age. Given that hostpopulation age structure changes over time and space, these results indicate that age-effects are important for understanding epidemiological processes in coinfected systems and that studies focused on a single age group could yield inaccurate insights. 

Abstract The influence of strongly electron donating amino groups on a hydroxyaromatic 1,2,3‐triazolyl anion chemosensor was investigated with spectroscopic studies (ultraviolet‐visible [UV‐vis], fluorescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR]) and computational analyses. This work focused on2‐,3‐and4‐aminoderivatives of the parent molecule, 2‐(4‐phenyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐1‐yl)phenol (PTP). The effect on signal‐output, selectivity, sensitivity, and the mechanism of response was explored. In all cases, the incorporation of the amino group enhances fluorescence during anion detection while retaining key properties (the receptor site, a blue‐fluorescent response, and the ability to detect F⁻, H₂PO₄⁻, and AcO⁻—strongest response to F⁻). Specifically, sensitivity to F⁻is impacted by the amino group's location. The2‐aminois most responsive to F⁻, more thanPTPand the other amino regioisomers. Results from this work are important for developing predictive, structure‐signal tuning models, which will be used in the targeted design of sensors based on thePTPscaffold.