We prove the Lefschetz property for a certain class of finite-dimensional Gorenstein algebras associated to matroids. Our result implies the Sperner property of the vector space lattice. More generally, it is shown that the modular geometric lattice
has the Sperner property. We also discuss the Grobner fan of the defining ideal of our Gorenstein algebra.
We construct a model of the affine nil-Hecke algebra as a subalgebra of the Nichols-Woronowicz algebra associated to a Yetter-Drinfeld module over the affine Weyl group. We also discuss the Peterson isomorphism between the homology of the affine Gras
smannian and the small quantum cohomology ring of the flag variety in terms of the braided differential calculus.
We give a characterization of the Lefschetz elements in Artinian Gorenstein rings over a field of characteristic zero in terms of the higher Hessians. As an application, we give new examples of Artinian Gorenstein rings which do not have the strong Lefschetz property.
For the root system of type $A$ we introduce and study a certain extension of the quadratic algebra invented by S. Fomin and the first author, to construct a model for the equivariant cohomology ring of the corresponding flag variety. As an applicati
on of our construction we describe a generalization of the equivariant Pieri rule for double Schubert polynomials. For a general finite Coxeter system we construct an extension of the corresponding Nichols-Woronowicz algebra. In the case of finite crystallographic Coxeter systems we present a construction of extended Nichols-Woronowicz algebra model for the equivariant cohomology of the corresponding flag variety.
