Ecological monitoring is increasingly automated by vision models, yet opaque predictions limit trust and field adoption. We present an inpainting-guided, perturbation-based explanation technique that produces photorealistic, mask-localized edits that preserve scene context. Unlike masking or blurring, these edits stay in-distribution and reveal which fine-grained morphological cues drive predictions in tasks such as species recognition and trait attribution. We demonstrate the approach on a YOLOv9 detector fine-tuned for harbor seal detection in Glacier Bay drone imagery, using Segment-Anything-Model-refined masks to support two interventions: (i) object removal/replacement (e.g., replacing seals with plausible ice/water or boats) and (ii) background replacement with original animals composited onto new scenes. Explanations are assessed by re-scoring perturbed images (flip rate, confidence drop) and by expert review for ecological plausibility and interpretability. The resulting explanations localize diagnostic structures, avoid deletion artifacts common to traditional perturbations, and yield domain-relevant insights that support expert validation and more trustworthy deployment of AI in ecology.

Abstract--Airborne Base Stations (ABSs) allow for flexible geographical allocation of network resources with dynamically changing load as well as rapid deployment of alternate connectivity solutions during natural disasters. Since the radio infrastructure is carried by unmanned aerial vehicles (UA Vs) with limited flight time, it is important to establish the best location for the ABS without exhaustive field trials. This paper proposes a digital twin (DT)-guided approach to achieve this goal through the following key contributions: (i) Implementation of an interactive software bridge between two open-source DTs such that the same scene is evaluated with high fidelity across NVIDIA's Sionna and Aerial Omniverse Digital Twin (AODT), highlighting the unique features of each of these platforms for this allocation problem, (ii) Design of a back-propagation-based algorithm in Sionna for rapidly converging on the physical location of the UA Vs, orientation of the antennas and transmit power to ensure efficient coverage across the swarm of the UA Vs, and (iii) numerical evaluation in AODT for large network scenarios (50 UEs, 10 ABS) that identifies the environmental conditions in which there is agreement or divergence of performance results between these twins. Finally, (iv) we propose a resilience mechanism to provide consistent coverage to mission-critical devices and demonstrate a use case for bi-directional flow of information between the two DTs. Unmanned Aerial V ehicle (UA V)-mounted Base Stations, or Airborne Base Stations (ABSs), have gained significant attention as a complement to ground-based cellular networks [1]. As UA Vs become more accessible, their ability to navigate 3-dimensional (3D) space provides flexibility in adapting to dynamic network demands [2], [3], enabling line-of-sight links to mission-critical units [4] and enhancing user tracking [5]. However, ABS-enabled connectivity introduces challenges such as collision avoidance, coordinated coverage, and optimal placement, considering limited flight times of 20 to 100 minutes [6]. These challenges are highly dependent on the RF propagation environment, making prior channel knowledge essential for effective network planning. Motivation for Digital Twins: Optimal placement of Base Stations (BSs) is traditionally handled by telecom operators relying on domain knowledge and best practices. Digital Twins (DTs) and, specifically, Digital Twins for Networking (DTNs) [7], have emerged as strategic tools for network simulation, performance analysis, and "what-if" scenarios.

Is Trump losing patience with Putin? Will sanctions against Russian oil giants hurt Putin? How much of Europe's oil still comes from Russia? Russian overnight attack on Ukraine's Kyiv kills at least 3, wounds dozens At least three people have been killed and dozens wounded in an overnight Russian air attack on Kyiv, according to the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, as Russia's war on Ukraine approaches its four-year mark. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Sunday that "several" Russian drones were operating over the city, and warned people to "remain in shelters".

Is Trump losing patience with Putin? Will sanctions against Russian oil giants hurt Putin? How much of Europe's oil still comes from Russia? Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in the early hours of Sunday, striking residential buildings and wounding at least five people, including two children, according to officials. Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine overnight on Saturday killed at least two people and wounded 12 others, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on X.

'Heroes of Kharkiv': How 48 children were saved from kindergarten hit by Russian drone Although moving forward, Oleksandr Volobuev's body is angled slightly away from the camera, as if bracing against the deadly air still swirling with falling debris and smoke. His face in careful concentration, the Major-General from Ukraine's Civil Protection Service clings tightly to a precious bundle, wrapped for protection in his coat - and out of which two small pink shoes protrude. It is a striking image of a dramatic rescue from a nursery school in the eastern city of Kharkiv, following a devastating, direct hit by a Russian drone. Unsurprisingly it has gone viral, capturing both the Ukrainian and the wider global public's imagination. With 48 children trapped in a shelter in the burning building, it was not the only act of bravery that day, not by a long way.

Is Trump losing patience with Putin? Will sanctions against Russian oil giants hurt Putin? How much of Europe's oil still comes from Russia? Russian attacks on Ukraine kill 4 as Kyiv's allies renew pressure on Moscow Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine have killed at least four people and wounded several others, local officials say, as Kyiv's allies push sweeping measures against Moscow as the war nears its four-year mark. Two people were killed in a ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and nine were wounded in the overnight attacks, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, said on Saturday.

The U.S. military has begun operating surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip in recent days as part of a broader effort to ensure that both Israel and Hamas adhere to a fragile cease-fire agreement, Israeli and American military officials said. The drones have been used to monitor ground activity in Gaza, with the consent of Israel, according to two Israeli military officials and a U.S. defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. They said they were not able to share the drones' flight paths. Those three officials added that the surveillance missions were operating to support a new Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, which was established last week by the U.S. military's Central Command, in part to monitor the cease-fire. The truce deal, brokered by American, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators earlier this month, has been strained by a recent flare-up of violence in Gaza and lingering tensions over the exchange of deceased Israelis and Palestinians.

Why is Israel still in southern Lebanon? A war to shape Lebanon's future An Israeli drone strike killed two people when a vehicle was hit near the town of Toul in southern Lebanon, and a separate attack targeted a bulldozer in Khiam. The Israeli military says it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and weapons facilities despite a cease-fire agreement. 'Can't control' US tariffs: Canada'stands ready' to resume trade talks'Occupation, expulsion and colonisation': Israeli protesters block Gaza aid Rubio: Gaza security force must include nations Israel'comfortable with' Bloody Sunday families condemn British soldier's acquittal

Why is Israel still in southern Lebanon? A war to shape Lebanon's future An Israeli drone strike has killed two people in southern Lebanon, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health, a day after Israeli warplanes launched a series of deadly strikes on the country's eastern mountain range and south. It's the latest in near-daily Israeli violations of the United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah that began in November. It did not provide details on their condition. A security source told Al Jazeera that the drone fired a missile at a car, directly hitting the vehicle and causing it to catch fire.

Is Trump losing patience with Putin? Will sanctions against Russian oil giants hurt Putin? How much of Europe's oil still comes from Russia? Ukraine's Zelenskyy to meet European leaders in London over military aid Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet European leaders in the United Kingdom for talks on military aid to stave off future Russian aggression if a ceasefire stops the war now in its fourth year. Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to be joined at the Foreign Office in London on Friday by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.