setting max sparse version

[henrydingliu]

setting max sparse version

Summary of Changes

setting max sparse version to avoid import error on sparse._slicing

Related GitHub Issue(s)

closes #956

Additional Context for Reviewers

• I passed tests locally for both code (uv run pytest) and documentation changes (uv run jb build docs --builder=custom --custom-builder=doctest)

---

Note

Low Risk
Single-line dependency constraint in pyproject.toml; limits sparse upgrades but avoids known import breakage with no runtime logic changes.

Overview
Caps the sparse dependency in pyproject.toml with an upper bound <=0.17.0 (still >=0.9) so installs do not pull in a newer sparse release that triggers an import failure involving sparse._slicing (see #956).

This is packaging-only: no application code changes, only resolver/install-time version constraints.

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[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 88.82%. Comparing base (cdd8371) to head (099182b).

Additional details and impacted files

@@           Coverage Diff           @@
##             main     #957   +/-   ##
=======================================
  Coverage   88.82%   88.82%           
=======================================
  Files          89       89           
  Lines        5067     5067           
  Branches      648      648           
=======================================
  Hits         4501     4501           
  Misses        422      422           
  Partials      144      144           

Flag	Coverage Δ
unittests	88.82% <ø> (ø)

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