{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T15:35:29Z","timestamp":1753889729859,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":1,"publisher":"Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe (CCSD)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,10,8]],"date-time":"2013-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1381190400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/licenses\/nonexclusive-distrib\/1.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>The existential k-pebble game characterizes the expressive power of the\nexistential-positive k-variable fragment of first-order logic on finite\nstructures. The winner of the existential k-pebble game on two given finite\nstructures can be determined in time O(n2k) by dynamic programming on the graph\nof game configurations. We show that there is no O(n(k-3)\/12)-time algorithm\nthat decides which player can win the existential k-pebble game on two given\nstructures. This lower bound is unconditional and does not rely on any\ncomplexity-theoretic assumptions. Establishing strong k-consistency is a\nwell-known heuristic for solving the constraint satisfaction problem (CSP). By\nthe game characterization of Kolaitis and Vardi our result implies that there\nis no O(n(k-3)\/12)-time algorithm that decides if strong k-consistency can be\nestablished for a given CSP-instance.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.2168\/lmcs-9(4:2)2013","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,7,15]],"date-time":"2014-07-15T09:37:51Z","timestamp":1405417071000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Lower Bounds for Existential Pebble Games and k-Consistency Tests"],"prefix":"10.46298","volume":"Volume 9, Issue 4","author":[{"given":"Christoph","family":"Berkholz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"25203","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"810:not-found"}],"container-title":["Logical Methods in Computer Science"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/lmcs.episciences.org\/1010\/pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/lmcs.episciences.org\/1010\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,11]],"date-time":"2023-04-11T20:01:13Z","timestamp":1681243273000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/lmcs.episciences.org\/1010"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2013,10,8]]},"references-count":1,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2168\/lmcs-9(4:2)2013","relation":{"is-same-as":[{"id-type":"arxiv","id":"1205.0679","asserted-by":"subject"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.48550\/arXiv.1205.0679","asserted-by":"subject"}]},"ISSN":["1860-5974"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"1860-5974"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2013,10,8]]},"article-number":"1010"}}