MOTIVATION: Existing nanopore single-cell data analysis tools showed severe limitations in handling current data sizes. RESULTS: We introduce scywalker, an innovative and scalable package developed to comprehensively analyze long-read sequencing data of full-length single-cell or single-nuclei cDNA. We developed novel scalable methods for cell barcode demultiplexing and single-cell isoform calling and quantification and incorporated these in an easily deployable package. Scywalker streamlines the entire analysis process, from sequenced fragments in FASTQ format to demultiplexed pseudobulk isoform counts, into a single command suitable for execution on either server or cluster. Scywalker includes data quality control, cell type identification, and an interactive report. Assessment of datasets from the human brain, Arabidopsis leaves, and previously benchmarked data from mixed cell lines demonstrate excellent correlation with short-read analyses at both the cell-barcoding and gene quantification levels. At the isoform level, we show that scywalker facilitates the direct identification of cell-type-specific expression of novel isoforms. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Scywalker is available on github.com/derijkp/scywalker under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and at https://zenodo.org/records/13359438/files/scywalker-0.108.0-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz.

In the Arid and Semi-Arid regions of the Xinjiang province in Northwestern China, soil moisture content (SMC) controls vegetation growth. With regard to quantifying SMC, the apparent thermal inertia (ATI) approach was applied. This paper focuses on the determination of ATI using day and night land surface temperatures (LST) from locally received MODIS data. The day and night LST difference is a proxy for the calculation of actual ATI. LST estimation is based on an adapted split window method, based on vegetation cover for emissivity estimation. The validation of the MODIS SMC product was performed with TDI probe measurements. TDI probe SMC measurements were performed at the site Kuerle at about monthly intervals. When the SMC time series is compared with the TDI measurements, a satisfactory correspondence can be observed. The ATI approach seems suitable for 1 m depth SMC profile retrievals in the Xinjiang province using MODIS data at 1×1 km2resolution.