Registration Bulletin and Call for Abstracts

The Third Asian Conference on Vision (ACV2004)

November 15^th -19^th, 2004, Chongqing, China

Project of Brain and Mind, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Vision Society of Japan

Vision Research Group of Korean Society for Cognitive Science and

Korean Psychological Association

Web Site: www.ciccst.org.cn/acv2004,  www.ibp.ac.cn/acv2004, www.ion.ac.cn/news/updates.htm

Organized by

Laboratory of Visual Information Processing, Institute of Biophysics (Beijing)

Institute of Neuroscience (Shanghai), Chinese Academy of Sciences

Southwest Eye Hospital (Chongqing)

Biophysical Society of China

Sponsored by

International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China)

National Natural Science Foundation of China (China)

Laboratory of Visual Information Processing, Institute of Biophysics (China)

Project of Brain and Mind, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China)

Southwest Eye Hospital (China)

Forum of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China)

Organizing Committee

Program Committee

Local Arrangement Committee

WELCOME TO CHONGQING !

Dear Colleagues,

Vision research is an important field of neuroscience and a window to reveal profound mysteries of the brain. It is developing rapidly, and thus needs prompt circulation of information among the researchers. The Third Asian Conference on Vision (ACV2004) serves, as did its predecessors in Hayama, Japan (2001) and Gyeongju, Korea(2002), to bring together vision scientists from Asia and other continents to exchange information on their research ideas and to discuss new advances and broad prospects in this field. The conference also aims to foster academic connection and cooperation, as well as friendship among the participants.

It is a privilege for the Organizing Committee to invite you to join the regional visual science community and to participate in the Conference, which will be held in Chongqing, China on November 15-19, 2004. The scientific program will cover a variety of subjects by means of plenary lectures, oral communications, poster presentations, and group discussions, aiming at the recent developments of visual science. Social activities will be encouraged by official social events, and local and regional tours for persons and families accompanying participants.  

Chongqing is a beautiful city located at the convergence of the Changjiang (Yangtse) River and Jialingjiang River in southwest China. Three thousand years ago, Chongqing was once the Capital of the Ba Kingdom called Jiangzhou. It gained the present name “Chongqing” some 800 years ago that means “double celebrations”. Chongqing is attractive to both Chinese and foreign visitors for its wonderful sights, including the Dazu Stone Sculptures (over 1000 years), Bamboo Sea and Golden Buddha Hill. It is convenient for tourists to travel by air, water, bus or train. Direct flights to Chongqing from Nagoya (Japan), Seoul (Korea), Frankfurt (Germany) and other major cities are available. Traveling to Chongqing is also convenient through connections at Beijing or Shanghai.

The Organizing Committee extends a warm invitation to you, your family and your colleagues to attend the Third Asian Conference on Vision. We hope that you will benefit from the scientific program and will enjoy your stay in Chongqing.

Chair:      Chao-Yi Li (China)                       

Co-Chairs:  Keiji Uchikawa (Japan)

Chan-Sup Chung (Korea)

Rong-Qiao He (China)

Plenary Lectures

Horace Barlow (Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge, UK) 

     “Changing views about how brains compute”

Robert Desimone (Laboratory of Neuropsychology, NIMH, USA) 

     “Selective visual attention and biased competition in the cortex”

Bogdan Dreher (Dept. Anatomy and Histology, University of Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

     “Topographic reorganization in mammalian visual cortices following circumscribed retinal lesions”   

Yves Frégnac (U.N.I.C, CNRS, FRANCE)

"From synaptic rumours to low-lever perception: an intracellular view of visual cortical network dynamics"

Barrie J. Frost (Dept. Psychology, Queen's University, CANADA) 

      “Neural mechanisms for processing different classes of visual motion”

Harvey J. Karten (Dept. Neurosciences, University of California at San Diego, USA )

“Motion detectors in tectum and temporal lobe: evolution and neuromorphic engineering of a bug detector” 

Yillbyung Lee (Division of Computer and Industrial Engineering, Yonsei University, KOREA)

     “Multi-filter visual attention and visual tracking modeling" 

Chao-Yi Li (Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CHINA)

     “Structure and function of the integration field of visual cortical neurons” 

Masao Ohmi (MATTO Laboratories, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, JAPAN)

     “Human visual orientation for way finding”   

Jack Pettigrew (VTHRC, University of Queensland, AUSTRALIA)

 “Perceptual rivalry, interhemispheric switching and bipolar disorder” 

David Philip Crewther (Brain Sciences Inst., Swinburne Univ. of Technology, AUSTRALIA)

     “Retinal control of refractive state”

Mu-ming Poo (Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CHINA;

             University of California, Berkeley, USA)  

"Activity-dependent refinement of neural circuits in a developing visual system"

Session Topics

Preliminary Schedule

Call for Abstracts

Abstract Instructions

1.      Each abstract should fit on a single page of A4 (210 mm x 297 mm), including figures, tables, and references, with 2.5cm margins on all sides. The text should be in single-column format, single-spaced, Times New Roman or similar font (12 points) and printed on one side of the page only.

2.      The title and author information should be entered at the top of the page in the right-hand cell and be left-justified, as shown in the Sample of Abstract. Title should be in bold Arial (14 points), with the initial letter capitalized. Authors will start on a new line and should be in regular Times New Roman (10 points).  Underline the name of the presenting author. Do not include the title of the authors (such as Prof., Dr., etc).

3.       Affiliation of authors should start on a new line in italics and must include the author’s institution(s), mailing and e-mail address.

4.       Main text should be in regular Times New Roman (12 points) and single-spaced. Insert a single blank line space between paragraphs.

5.      Abbreviations may be used. Give the full term when first mentioned followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis.

6.       Please indicate (ACV2004) abstract in the subject while sending your abstract by e-mail.

7. The Abstract Book, printed in black and white, will appear as a supplement of the Chinese academic journal Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Abstract Submission

1.      Abstracts should be submitted as an e-mail attachment file (Microsoft Word 97/2000 RTF on Windows and PDF if possible) to the Secretariat at acv2004@sun5.ibp.ac.cn before August 30^th, 2004.

2.      A sample abstract will be sent with the 2^nd announcement of ACV2004 by e-mail or can be downloaded from the conference website. This sample should be used as a template for preparing your abstract. Please contact the Secretariat by e-mail if you have any difficulty in obtaining or downloading this form.

3.      The presenting author should indicate at the time of abstract submission if you would prefer to report your work as an oral or poster presentation.  This indication will be used only as a guide in organizing the scientific sessions, and we cannot guarantee that all preferences will be met.

4.      The Abstract Book will only include those of which at least one of the authors has been registered for the Conference. We cannot guarantee the inclusion of your abstract in the Abstract Book, if it arrives later than the deadline.

   Fax copy will not be accepted.

5.  Please indicate ACV2004 Abstract while sending your abstract by e-mail.

6.  Abstract that fails to meet the above requirements will NOT be accepted.

7.  The deadline for abstract submission is August 30^th, 2004..

Acceptance Notification

Notification of the abstract acceptance will be sent to the authors by e-mail on September 15^th 2004.

Conference Information

Official Language

The official language of the Conference is English. Simultaneous translation will not be provided.

Time for the Talks

Plenary lecture, 30 min. presentation, 10min. discussion

Oral presentation, 15min. presentation, 5min. discussion

Poster Presentation

Besides the plenary lectures and oral presentations, all participants are highly encouraged to make poster presentation during the Conference.  The posters will be allocated a space of 90 cm wide by 120 cm high.  Poster boards will be numbered according to the same numbering scheme in the abstract book.

The main poster display session is scheduled for 15:00-18:00 on Nov. 17^th in the Conference Center of Liyuan Hotel.  During the display session, presenters are requested to remain in front of their poster boards to meet with other attendees.

Invitation Letter

An official letter of invitation can be sent to the participants upon request from the Conference Secretariat. The receipt of such a letter does not exempt the recipient from paying all registration fees and any other fees.

PCO

The Professional Conference Organizer is China International Conference Center for Science and Technology (CICCST). Contact Person: Mr. Yu Wang, CICCST, 86 Xueyuan Nan Road, Beijing 100081, China. Tel: +86-10-62103105, Fax: +86-10-62174126. Email: ywang@ciccst.org.cn

Coffee and Tea

The participants will be served with coffee and tea during breaks.

Meeting Facilities

Powerpoint presentations are encouraged for plenary lectures and oral presentations. A data projector will be made available in both Conference Center (15^th floor) and Lisheng Cinema (16^th floor).  Computers will also be provided in each room or speakers may use their own portable computers.  Please contact the Conference Secretariat as early as possible if you have a special request for 35 mm slides or overhead projector.

Staff will be available in the Conference Center (15^th floor) and Lisheng Cinema (16^th floor).to help set up presentations.  Speakers are advised to preview their presentations before the start of each session.

Exhibition

A small exhibition will be held concurrently with the Conference at the same venue. Industrial enterprises are welcome to contact the Conference Secretariat for detailed information.

Registration

Those who wish to attend the Conference are requested to complete the Registration Form. Each delegate must fill in a separate registration form. Your Registration Form should be accompanied with relevant payment and send them to CICCST (China International Conference Center for Science and Technology) before October 10^th, 2004:

Mr. Yu Wang

CICCST/ACV2004

86 Xueyuan Nan Road

Beijing 100081, China

Tel: +86-10-62103105

Fax: +86-10-62174126

E-mail: ywang@ciccst.org.cn

Student registrations must be accompanied with a letter of verification from a department chairperson or faculty/research advisor and send it to CICCST by fax.

Registration Fee (Type 1)

  The following items will be included by the registration fee (Type 1):

1.  Proceedings (Abstract and Program Book)

2.  Welcome Reception (Nov.15, ) ^@

3. Coffee and Tea at Break

Registration Fee (Type 2)

  The following items will be included by the registration fee (Type 2):

1.      Proceedings (Abstract and Program Book)

2.      Welcome Reception^&

3.   Coffee and Tea at Break

4.   Banquet^&

5.   All Lunches and Dinners during the Conference (From Nov. 15-19) ^&

6.   One day excursion on Nov. 19, 2004^&

* The postdoctoral participants are regarded as regular participants.

# Student Participants should be full-registered students at universities or equivalent institutions. Those who wish to take advantage of the student participant fee must have their Registration Form counter-signed by their supervisors or heads of the departments.

@ Also for accompanying person who registered to Type 1

& Also for accompanying person who registered to Type 2

Confirmation

Your registration, hotel and tour reservation and all payment will be confirmed by CICCST in writing upon receipt of your Registration Form and payment. Please present the confirmation letter to the Registration Desk when registering during the Conference.

Registration Desk

All attendees must register at the Conference Registration Desk, which will be located in the lobby of the Liyuan Hotel on Nov.15^th from 8:00-21:00.

General Information

The City

Chongqing is a modern city, with an ancient history spanning more than 3,000 years. It is the nation's fourth municipality after Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. It encompasses within its borders, a great wealth of water reserves, mineral resources, dense forests and abundant flora and fauna. Being the focal point of the unique Three Gorges tourist industry, Chongqing is a tourist attraction as well as being a commercial city.

The world famous mountain city, Chongqing, attracts visitors from home and abroad for its cultural heritage and tourist attractions. Amazing and wonderful scenery of the Three Gorges is the main attraction, and Chongqing is the best starting point for a sightseeing river cruise. Other attractions includes Dazu Grottoes, carved during the ninth century, which are valuable works of art and not to be missed; the Gold Buddhist Mountain, reputed as a rich repository of diverse animals and plants; and the Fishing Town, which is one of the three ancient battlefields in China. Traveling in Chongqing, you will feel fortunate to be able to taste delicious local food, such as Sichuan cuisine and the world-famous hot pot dishes. Also the handicrafts made from bamboo have been enjoying great popularity among the visitors.

Chongqing's nickname as the "Fog City" or "Furnace" is no exaggeration. Annual average temperature is 18 C to 20 C, with the lowest temperature of 6 C in winter and the highest temperature of 38 C in summer. You will enjoy a warm winter but a hot summer. Annual average rainfall is about 1000 to 1400 milliliters. Chongqing has plenty of night rain all year round. So the best time to visit Chongqing should be in spring, autumn and winter.

Passport and Visa

A valid passport and visa for visiting China are required. Upon receiving your Registration Form, CICCST will send you an official invitation letter with which you can apply for an entry visa at the Chinese Embassy or the nearest consulate general.

Weather

The average temperature in Chongqing in November is about 11°C / 52 °F. The daytime high temperature can reach to 15 °C / 59 °F and the temperature during the night is around 9°C / 48 °F. It is foggy sometimes at that season of the year, and an umbrella is necessary for the small rain.

Insurance

The Organizing Committee cannot accept any liability for personal accidents or loss or damage to the private property of participants, students and accompanying persons during the Conference or indirectly arising from the Conference. It is advisable that participants take out adequate travel and health insurance before leaving their own countries.

Electricity

The electricity supply is 220V, 50Hz in China.

Currency Exchange

In China, only RMB is used. However, exchange centers can be found at airports, most hotels and large shopping centers. The exchange rate is about 1 US dollar = 8.30 Yuan RMB. When exchanging money, please keep your receipt by which you can change any remaining RMB back to foreign currency when leaving China. Visa, Master, American Express, Diners Club and JCB are accepted in many department stores and hotels. It may be difficult to draw cash with credit cards.

The Bank of China and most hotels can cash travelers check issued by any foreign bank or financial institution. Participants will need to show a passport and pay a 0.75 percent commission. Travelers’ check signed over to a third party cannot be cashed in China, but can be presented for collection through the Bank of China.

Arrival at Chongqing

Taxi service is available at Chongqing International Airport. The cost from the airport to the Liyuan hotel is within US$10, or RMB 80 Yuan. Please find the Taxi Note in this announcement to help you to the hotel.

Reconfirmation of Air Ticket

Departure air ticket (both international and domestic) should be reconfirmed 72 hours in advance. Calling the airline office in Chongqing could make it. But these offices do not work in weekend.

Airport Tax

Domestic flights requests 50 Yuan RMB per person and international flights requests  90 Yuan RMB per person.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Reservation

Accommodation has been secured by the Organizing Committee at advantageous rates for delegates in the Liyuan Hotel. Reservations could be made through completing the form and sent it to CICCST before Oct. 10^th, 2004.  To guarantee the room reservation, payment of deposit of one night room rate or all room cost together with the registration fee is required. You will receive a confirmation directly from CICCST. Accommodation will be allotted based upon availability at the time your registration is received according to a first-come first-served basis. Any change made to the reservation prior to arrival must be communicated to CICCST, but not to the hotel.

      Deposit: one night room rate or all room cost

Notes

1. The room rate includes service charge and breakfast.

2. For those who intend to share a room, please write down your roommate’s name on the Registration Form.

3. The deposit will be forwarded to your hotel and deducted from your account when you

  check out.

Hotel Information

Liyuan Hotel, an international comprehensive building with 20 storeys for businessmen and tourists, is built according to the international four-star hotel standard. It is located by the Green & Celebrity Sculpture Plaza in Shapingba, Chongqing.

Address: No.15 Tianchen Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China

Tel: +86-23-65316666   Fax: +86-23-65319999

Email: hotel@cqliyuan.com

Web Site: http://www.cqliyuan.com

Tour Information

One-day Excursion:

Dazu Sculpture—Sakyamuni’s Nirvana (in Dazu County of Chongqing)

The Organizing Committee will arrange free excursion on Nov. 19^th for the participants who paid for Registration Fee (Type 2) and registered accompanying persons.

Tours reservation

The Pre- and Post-Conference tours will be arranged by CICCST. Please refer the introduction below, make the reservation on the Registration Form and include the relevant costs. These will offer you a very good opportunity to appreciate Chinese culture, ancient civilization, people’s daily life and traditions. The tours should be booked by using the Registration Form and paid for it before October 10^th, 2004.

PRE(PR) & POST(PT) CONFERENCE TOUR

PR1 Beijing – Xi’an – Chongqing (3 days)

Price: Single Occupancy US$490/person    Double Occupancy US$440/person

PT1 Chongqing – Kunming – Dali – Lijiang – Kunming (4.5 days)

Price: Single Occupancy US$850/person      Double Occupancy US$800/person

PT2 Chongqing – Three Gorges Cruise – Yichang - Beijing (5.5 days)

Price: Single Occupancy US$1200/person    Double Occupancy US$1100/person

PT3 Chongqing – Xi’an – Dunhuang – Jiuquan – Lanzhou – Shanghai (6 days)

Price: Single Room US$1270/person       Twin Room US$1150/person

Note

1.The tour fees include intercity transportation, regular meals, hotel (three-star or above)

  accommodation, admission fees and an English-speaking tour guide.

2.You can arrange the continuing flight from the tour end city by yourself. If necessary,

  CICCST could assist you.

3.The detailed tour information of flight and hotels will be available around October 15^th , 2004 on the web site.

4. If no roommate name is indicated in your Registration Form, your room will be arranged as a single occupancy during the tour.

5. CICCST will reserve the right to raise the prices or cancel any of the above tour routes, if there are less than 10 attendees. In that case, the notification will be sent to you as soon as possible and the tour fee will be fully refunded.

PAYMENT

The Registration Form should be returned to CICCST before Oct. 10^th, 2004 with appropriate payment, which must be in US dollars and payable to it by the following ways:

A. Payment in Advance

1. Credit card:

Only Master, Visa, and American Express will be acceptable. It will be billed in Chinese RMB. Consequently, the amount charged to your account may vary due to the fluctuation in exchange rates. The total amount should be increased by 4% for bank charges.

2.Bank transfer:

Beneficiary: CICCST

Beneficiary Bank: Bank of China, Head Office

Account No.: 00038018091014

Swift Code: BKCHCNBJ 

Address: 1 Fuxingmen Nei Dajie, Beijing 100818, China

Please do write “ACV2004” and the participant’s name in the place of “Message”.

3.Bank draft:

Please drawn on: CICCST

Please mail it to:

Mr. Yu Wang, CICCST/ACV2004

86 Xueyuan Nan Road, Beijing 100081, China.

B. Payment On-site

Cash, travelers’ check and credit cards (Master, Visa, American Express, Diners Club, JCB) are acceptable.

Notes

1. In order to avoid any trouble in money transfer, please do send a copy of your

  remittance invoice or receipt together with your Registration Form.

2. No personal check is acceptable for the payments in advance.

3. All bank charges will be borne by the participant.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND

Any change or cancellation must be notified in writing to CICCST. Refund with remittance charge deducted will be processed after the Conference. The refund policy is given below:

CORRESPONDENCE

Participants are requested to contact the Secretariat below for your questions about the abstract submission, presentations program, exhibition and any other scientific program:

1)      Ms. Shun-Yi Wei

ACV2004 Secretariat

   Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

   15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, P.R.China

   Tel: (+86-10) 64889894

   Fax: (+86-10) 64871293

   Email: acv2004@sun5.ibp.ac.cn

http://www.ciccst.org.cn/acv2004    

http://www.ibp.ac.cn/acv2004

2)      Dr. Bing Li

   Laboratory of Visual Information Processing

   Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

   15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, P.R.China

   Tel.: (+86-10) 64888529

   Fax: (+86-10) 64853625

   E-mail: lib@sun5.ibp.ac.cn

   http://www.ibp.ac.cn/acv2004

3) Any requests about registration, visa application, meeting facility, hotel/tours reservation, payment and confirmation, please contact the CICCST:

   Mr. Yu WANG     

   CICCST/ACV2004

   86 Xueyuan Nan lu

   Beijing 100081, China

   Fax: +86-10-62174126

   E-mail: ywang@ciccst.org.cn

IMPORTANT DATES

If the taxi driver cannot understand English, please show the following “TAXI NOTE” to him/her:

TAXI NOTE

Please take me to the Liyuan Hotel. Thank you!

   请 送 我 到 丽 苑 大 酒 店（沙坪坝）， 谢 谢！