A finite directed category is a k-linear category with finitely many objects and an underlying poset structure, where k is an algebraically closed field. This concept unifies structures such as k-linerizations of posets and finite EI categories, quotient algebras of finite-dimensional hereditary algebras, triangular matrix algebras, etc. In this paper we study representations of finite directed categories, discuss their stratification properties, and show the existence of generalized APR tilting modules for triangular matrix algebras under some assumptions.

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the index of reducibility and Chern coefficients for primary ideals. As an application, we give characterizations of a Cohen–Macaulay ring in terms of its type, irreducible multiplicity, and Chern coefficients with respect to certain parameter ideals in Noetherian local rings.

Let g be the Witt algebra or the positive Witt algebra. It is well known that the enveloping algebra U(g) has intermediate growth and thus infinite Gelfand–Kirillov (GK-) dimension. We prove that the GK-dimension of U(g) is just infinite in the sense that any proper quotient of U(g) has polynomial growth. This proves a conjecture of Petukhov and the second named author for the positive Witt algebra. We also establish the corresponding results for quotients of the symmetric algebra S(g) by proper Poisson ideals. In fact, we prove more generally that any central quotient of the universal enveloping algebra of the Virasoro algebra has just infinite GK-dimension. We give several applications. In particular, we easily compute the annihilators of Verma modules over the Virasoro algebra.