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Abstract This report summarizes the latest developments in the CTEQ-TEA global analysis of parton distribution functions (PDFs) in the nucleon. The focus is on recent NNLO fits to high-precision LHC data at 8 and 13 TeV, including Drell–Yan, jet, and top-quark pair production, pursued on the way toward the release of the new generation of CTEQ-TEA general-purpose PDFs. The report also discusses advancements in statistical and numerical methods for PDF determination and uncertainty quantification, highlighting the importance of robust and replicable uncertainties for high-stakes observables. Additionally, it covers phenomenological studies related to PDF determination, such as the interplay of experimental constraints, exploration of correlations between high-xnucleon sea and low-energy parity-violating measurements, fitted charm in the nucleon, the photon PDF in the neutron, and simultaneous SMEFT-PDF analyses. 

We report on a search for sub-GeV dark matter (DM) particles interacting with electrons using the DAMIC-M prototype detector at the Modane Underground Laboratory. The data feature a significantly lower detector single $e^{-}$rate (factor 50) compared to our previous search, while also accumulating a 10 times larger exposure of $\sim 1.3\mathrm{kg}\text{−}\mathrm{day}$. DM interactions in the skipper charge-coupled devices (CCDs) are searched for as groups of two or three adjacent pixels with a total charge between 2 and $4e^{-}$. We find 144 candidates of $2e^{-}$and 1 candidate of $4e^{-}$, where 141.5 and 0.071, respectively, are expected from background. With no evidence of a DM signal, we place stringent constraints on DM particles with masses between 1 and $1000\mathrm{MeV}/c^2$interacting with electrons through an ultralight or heavy mediator. For large ranges of DM masses below $1\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$, we exclude theoretically motivated benchmark scenarios where hidden-sector particles are produced as a major component of DM in the Universe through the freeze-in or freeze-out mechanisms. 

Variable stiffness grippers can adapt to objects with different shapes and gripping forces. This paper presents a novel variable stiffness gripper (VSG) based on the Fin Ray effect that can adjust stiffness discretely. The main structure of the gripper includes the compliant frame, rotatable ribs, and the position limit components attached to the compliant frame. The stiffness of the gripper can be adjusted by rotating the specific ribs in the frame. There are four configurations for the gripper that were developed in this research: a) all ribs OFF (Flex) mode; b) upper ribs ON and lower ribs OFF (Hold) mode; c) upper ribs OFF and lower ribs ON (Pinch) mode; d) all ribs ON (Clamp) mode. Different configurations can provide various stiffness for the gripper’s finger to adapt the objects with different shapes and weights. To optimize the design, the stiffness analysis under various configurations and force conditions was implemented by finite element analysis (FEA). The 3-D printed prototypes were constructed to verify the feature and performance of the design concept of the VSG compared with the FEA results. The design of the VSG provides a novel idea for industrial robots and collaborative robots on adaptive grasping. 

We revisit the notion of tracial approximation for unital simple C*-algebras. We show that a unital simple separable in nite dimensional C*-algebra A is asymptotically tracially in the class of C-algebras with nite nuclear dimension if and only if A is asymptotically tracially in the class of nuclear Z-stable C-algebras. 1