What is a system of parameters?

In this paper we discuss various refinements and generalizations of a theorem of Sankar Dutta and Paul Roberts. Their theorem gives a criterion for $d$ elements in a $d$-dimensional Noetherian Cohen-Macaulay local ring to be a system of parameters, i.e., to have height $d$. We chiefly remove the assumption that the ring be Cohen-Macaulay and discuss similar theorems.
Comment: 15 pages, submitted for publication.