Algebra univers.

46 (2001) 75 – 96
0002–5240/01/020075 – 22 $ 1.50 + 0.20/0
© Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 2001

L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings

Zhao Xianzhong, K. P. Shum∗ and Y. Q. Guo†

In memory of the late Professor Viktor Aleksandrovich Gorbunov

Abstract. We show that certain varieties of idempotent semirings are determined by some properties of Green0 s
relations, provide equational bases for them and give conditions guaranteeing that some Green0 s relations are
congruences.

1. Introduction and preliminaries

A semirings (S, +, ·) is an algebra with two binary operations + and · such that both the
additive reduct (S, +) and the multiplicative reduct (S, ·) are semigroups which satisfies
the identities:
x(y + z) ≈ xy + xz, (x + y)z ≈ xz + yz.
The set of all natural numbers under usual addition and multiplication is a natural example
of a semiring. One can also easily find many other examples of semirings in almost all
branches of mathematics. Semirings can be regarded as a common generalization of both
rings and distributive lattices. By a band, we mean a semigroup in which every element
is an idempotent. We call a semiring (S, +, ·) an idempotent semiring if both (S, +) and
(S, ·) are bands. Given a class of idempotent semirings, one can regard it as a class of
type (2, 2) algebra satisfying two additional identities x · x ≈ x and x + x ≈ x. Thus,
the class of all idempotent semirings is an equational class, or equivalently a variety. We
denote this variety of all idempotent semirings by I . A special subvariety of the variety I is
the subvariety of ID of all distributive semirings, first studied by Pastijn and Romanowska
in [14] and Romanowska in [19], [20]. In fact, ID is a special variety of idempotent
semirings satisfying the additional dual distributive identities, namely,
x + yz ≈ (x + y)(x + z), yz + x ≈ (y + x)(z + x).

Presented by Professors Kira Adaricheva and Wieslaw Dziobiak.

Received November 2, 1999; accepted in final form May 2, 2000.
2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 16A78, 08B05, 20M07.
Key words: Idempotent semirings, Green0 s relations, congruences, variety, identities.
∗ The research of K. P. Shum is partially supported by a UGC (HK) grant #2160126 (1999/2001).
† The research of Y. Q. Guo is supported by a grant of NSF, China #19761004 and a grant of Yunnan Provincial
Applied Fundamental Research Foundation #96a001z.
75
76 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

It is noted that the bisemilattices, investigated by Romanowska [18], [21], [22] and by
McKenzie and Romanowska [11], form a variety of idempotent semirings which satisfy
the additional identities xy ≈ yx, x + y ≈ y + x. There are a series of papers in the
literature considering variety of idempotent semirings and similar topics, for example, see
[2]–[7], [13]–[14] and [20]–[24]. The variety I has recently been investigated by using
Green0 s relations by Guo, Pastijn and Sen [8], Pastijn and Guo [13], Sen, Guo and Shum
[23] and Zhao and Guo [24]. The D-relation for the multiplicative reduct (S, ·) of an
idempotent semiring (S, +, ·) has been investigated in detail by Pastijn and Zhao [15]. In
[20], Zhao and Guo have given some descriptions for the so-called D-subvarieties of the
variety I of idempotent semirings by listing down their defining sets of identities and their
Malćev product decompositions. For a semirings (S, +, ·), the Green0 s relations D on its
multiplicative reduct (S, ·) and its additive reduct (S, +) will be denoted by •D and +D,
respectively. Thus, a D-subvariety of I is a subvariety of I with D-relations +D and •D
defined on (S, +) and (S, ·), respectively. If we let 1 be the identity relation, 5 the universal
relation and Con(S) the set of semiring congruences on an idempotent semiring S, then we
can list the related D-subvarieties of the variety I by the following additional conditions:

Table 1
{S ∈I : •D = 1}, {S ∈I : •D = ∇}, {S ∈I : •D ∈ Con(S)},
{S ∈I : +D = 1}, {S ∈I : +D = ∇}, {S ∈I : +D ∈ Con(S)},
{S ∈I : •D ∨ +D = 1}, {S ∈I : •D ∨ +D = ∇}, {S ∈I : •D ∨ +D ∈ Con(S)},
{S ∈I : •D ∧ +D = 1}, {S ∈I : •D ∧ +D = ∇}, {S ∈I : •D ∧ +D ∈ Con(S)},

In the above table, the lattice meet C1 ∧ C2 means C1 ∩ C2 and the lattice join C1 ∨ C2
means the smallest congruence generated by C1 and C2 .
In this connection, we consider the following classes of idempotent semirings related to
the Green0 s L-relation +L and/or •L of an idempotent semiring, where •L and +L are the
Green0 s relations L on the multiplicative reduct (S, ·) and the additive reduct (S, +) of the
semiring (S, +, ·), respectively.

Table 2
{S ∈I : •L = 1}, {S ∈ I : •L = 1}, {S ∈I : •L ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : •L ∧ +D = 1}, {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +D = 1}, {S ∈I : •L ∧ +D ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : •L ∧ +L = 1}, {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +L = 1}, {S ∈I : •L ∧ +L ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : •L ∧ +R = 1}, {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +R = 1}, {S ∈I : •L ∧ +R ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : •L ∨ +L = 1}, {S ∈ I : •L ∨ +L = 1}, {S ∈I : •L ∨ Lp ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : •L ∨ +R = 1}, {S ∈ I : •L ∨ +R = 1}, {S ∈I : •L ∨ Rp ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : +L = 1}, {S ∈ I : +L = 1}, {S ∈I : +L ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : +L ∧ •D = 1}, {S ∈ I : +L ∧ •D = 1}, {S ∈I : +L ∧ •D ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : +L ∨ +D = 1}, {S ∈ I : +L ∨ •D = 1}, {S ∈I : •L ∨ •D ∈ Con(S)}
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 77

In this paper, we shall give a complete description for the above classes of idempotent
semirings by using some sets of defining identities so that the classes form subvarieties
of I . We shall call them L-subvarieties. In this context, the concept of Mal0 cev product
is needed. By the Mal0 cev product of two classes V and W of the semirings, denoted by
V ◦ W , we mean the class of all semirings S in which there exists a congruence ρ on S
such that S/ρ ∈ W and the ρ-classes are all in V . Thus, in this way, some new classes of
semirings can be obtained via the Mal0 cev products of some known semirings. Another aim
of this paper is to consider the decomposition of Mal0 cev product of some L-subvarieties
into other L-subvarieties. Finally, we show that •L is a congruence on an idempotent
semiring (S, +, ·) if and only if (•L) ∧ (+D) and (•L) ∨ (+D) are both congruences on S.
Throughout this paper, unless otherwise stated, S is always an idempotent semiring. We
use the symbol V to denoted the band variety. Thus, +V (•V ) is a subvariety of I consisting
of the semirings whose additive (multiplicative) reducts belong to V . For example, •R is the
subvariety of I satisfying the identity xyz ≈ x, while +R is the subvariety of I satisfying
the identity x + y + x ≈ x. The following notations will be used throughout our paper.
Lz left zero bands xy ≈ x
Rz right zero bands xy ≈ y
R rectangular bands xyx ≈ x
S` Semilattices xy ≈ yx
Ln left normal bands xyz ≈ xzy
Rn right normal bands xyz ≈ yxz
N normal bands xyzx ≈ xyxzx
Re regular bands xyzx ≈ xyxzx
Lr left regular bands xy ≈ xyx
Rr right regular bands yx ≈ xyx
For the sake of completeness, we note that +L and •L are defined on (S, +) and (S, ·) by
(∀ a, b ∈ S) a(+L)b ⇔ a + b = a, b + a = b; (1)
(∀ a, b ∈ S) a(•L)b ⇔ a + b = a, ba = b, (2)
It is noted in [8] and [19] that if (S, ·) is a band, then we may extend (S, ·) to an algebra
(S, +, ·) by stipulating that x +y ≈ x for all x, y ∈ S. The resulting (S, +, ·) then becomes
an idempotent semiring which belongs to +Lz and it is obvious that every member of +Lz
can be so obtained. Similar observation holds for the members of +Rz , •Lz and •Rz
respectively.
The following result on idempotent semirings obtained in [15] are particularly useful in
the sequel.

LEMMA 1.1. [15, Theorem 1.5] Let S = (S, +, ·) be an idempotent semiring. Then the
Green0 s relation +D on the additive reduct (S, +) of S is a congruence on the idempotent
78 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

semiring (S, +, ·) and, consequently, +L and +R are congruences on the multiplicative

reduct (S, ·).

For notations and terminologies not given in this paper, the reader is referred to Howie
[9] and Petrich [16] for a background on semigroup theory and to McKenzie, McNulty and
Taylor [10] for information concerning universal algebra. We shall assume that the reader
is familiar with the basic results in this area.

2. L-subvarieties related to the meets of L-relations

with some other Green0 s relations

In this section, we are going to describe those of idempotent semirings related to the
lattice meets of the L-relation with some other Green0 s relations. We will show that these
classes are varieties.
We first establish the following lemma.

LEMMA 2.1. Let a, b be any elements of an idempotent semiring S. Then, we have

(i) a(•L ∧ +D)b if and only if

(∃u, v ∈ S)a = uuu + vu, b = vu + uvu; (3)
(ii) a(•L ∧ +L)b if and only if
(∃u, v ∈ S)a = vu + uvu + uv, b = vu + uvu; (4)
(iii) a(•L ∧ +R)b if and only if
(∃u, v ∈ S)a = vu + uvu + uv, b = uvu + vu; (5)
(iv) a(+L ∧ •D)b if and only if
(∃u, v ∈ S)a = uv + u + v + u, b = vu + u + v + u; (6)

Proof. (i) If a (•L ∧ +D)b, then by letting u = a + b and v = b + a, we have

uvu + vu = (a + b)(b + a)(a + b) + (b + a)(a + b)

= (a + b) + (b + a)
= a,

and

uv + uvu = (b + a)(a + b) + (a + b)(b + a)(a + b)

= (b + a) + (a + b)
= b+a+b
= b.
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 79

Conversely, let u, v be elements of S and suppose that a = uvu + vu and

b = vu + uvu. Then it is obvious that a(+D)b and uvu(•L)vu. As the con-
gruence class is a subsemiring of the idempotent semiring S, we have a(•L)b. This
implies that a(•L ∧ +D)b and hence (3) holds on S.
(ii) If a(•L ∧ +L)b, then by letting u = b and v = a, we have

vu + uvu + vu = ab + bab + ab = a + b + a = a,

and

uvu + vu = bab + ab = b + a = b.

For the converse part, we let a = vu + uvu + vu, b = uvu + vu + vu, for u, v ∈ S.
Then it is trivial to see that a + b = a, b + a = a and uvu(•L)uv. Thus, we have
a(•L)b and by (1), we also have a(+L)b. This implies that a(•L ∧ +L)b and so
(4) holds on S.
This part is similar to (ii) and we omit the details.
(iii) Let a(+L ∧ •D)b. Then by letting u = ab, v = ba and by Lemma 1.1, we have

uv + u + v + u = (u + v + u)(v + u)
= (ab + ba + ab)(ba + ab) = ab · ba
= a

and

vu + u + v + u = (ba + ab)(ab + ba + ab)

= ba · ab
= b.

Conversely, if u, v ∈ S, a = (u + v + u)(v + u) and b = (v + u)(u + v + u), then

it is obvious that a•Db and (u + v + u)(+L)(v + u). So by Lemma 1.1 again, we
have a(+L)b. This implies a(+L ∧ •D)b and hence (6) holds in S.
¨

LEMMA 2.2. The following statements hold for an idempotent semiring S = (S, +, ·).

(i) •L∧+D is a congruence on S if and only if S satisfies the following set of identities:

(yx + xyx + z)(xyx + yx + z) ≈ yx + xyx + z, (7)

(z + yx + xyx)(z + xyx + yx) ≈ z + yx + xyx, (8)
z(yx + xyx)z(xyx + yx) ≈ z(yx + xyx). (9)
80 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

(ii) •L∧+L is a congruence on S if and only if S satisfies the following set of identities:
(z + xyx + yx) + (z + yx + xyx + yx) ≈ z + xyx + yx, (10)
(z + xyx + yx)(z + yx + xyx + yx) ≈ z + xyx + yx, (11)
(xyx + yx + z)(yx + xyx + yx + z) ≈ xyx + yx + z, (12)
z(xyx + yx)z(yx + xyx + yx) ≈ z(xyx + yx). (13)
(iii) •L∧+R is a congruence on S if and only if S satisfies the following set of identities:
(yx + xyx + z) + (yx + xyx + yx + z) ≈ yx + xyx + z, (14)
(yx + xyx + z)(yx + xyx + yx + z) ≈ yx + xyx + z, (15)
(z + yx + xyx)(z + yx + xyx + yx) ≈ z + yx + xyx, (16)
z(yx + xyx)z(yx + xyx + yx) ≈ z(yx + xyx). (17)
(iv) +L∧•D is a congruence on S if and only if S satisfies the following set of identities:
(z + xy + x + y + x) + (z + yx + x + y + x) ≈ z + xy + x + y + x, (18)

(z + xy + x + y + x)(z + yx + x + y + x)(z + xy + x + y + x)
≈ z + xy + x + y + x, (19)
(xy + x + y + x + z)(yx + x + y + x + z) ≈ xy + x + y + x + z. (20)
Proof. We only prove (ii), as by similar arguments, we can also prove (i), (iii) and (iv).
First, we let •L ∧ +L be a congruence on the idempotent semiring (S, +, ·). Then, by
(iv) in Lemma 2.1, for any u, v ∈ S we have (vu + uvu + uv)(•L ∧ +L)(vu + uvu).
Consequently, for w ∈ S, we have
(w + vu + uvu + vu)(•L ∧ +L)(vu + uvu + vu + w)
(•L ∧ +L)(uvu + vu + w)w(vu + uvu + vu + w).
These imply that
(w + vu + uvu + vu)(•L)(w + uvu + vu),
(w + vu + uvu + vu)(•L)(w + uvu + vu),
(vu + uvu + vu + w)(•L)(uvu + vu + w),
w(vu + uvu + vu)(•L)w(uvu + vu).
Thus, by (1) and (2), we obtain
(w + uvu + vu) + (w + vu + uvu + vu) ≈ w + uvu + vu,
(w + uvu + vu)(w + vu + uvu + vu) ≈ w + uvu + vu,
(uvu + vu + w)(vu + uvu + vu + w) ≈ uvu + vu + w,
w(uvu + vu)w(vu + uvu + vu) ≈ w(uvu + vu).
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 81

Thereby, we can easily see that S satisfies (10), (11), (12) and (13).
Conversely, we suppose that S is an idempotent semiring satisfying (10), (11), (12) and
(13), and also suppose that a(•L ∧ +L)b for some a, b ∈ S. Then by Lemma 2.1, there
exist u, v ∈ S such that a = vu + uvu + vu and b = vu + uvu. By replacing c by a, x by
u, also y by v in (10) and (11), we have

(c + b) + (c + a) = c + b, (c + b)(c + a) = c + b.

By interchanging a and b above, we can similarly obtain that

(c + a) + (c + b) = c + a, (c + a)(c + b) = c + a.

By invoking (1) and (2), we can show that (c + a)(•L ∧ +L)(c + a). Consequently,
•L ∧ +L is a left congruence on the additive reduct (S, +) of (S, +, ·). Next, we claim that
•L ∧ +L is also a right congruence on (S, +). Since a(+L)b and +L is a right congruence
on (S, +), we have (a + c)(+L)(b + c). By replacing z by c, x by u, and y by v in (12), we
have (b + c)(a + c) = b + c. By interchanging a and b again, we can similarly show that
(a + c)(b + c) = a + c. Thus, our claim is established. Now, by the above two formulas, we
get (a + c)(•L)(b + c) and therefore (a + c)(•L ∧ +L)(b + c). This shows that •L ∧ +L
is a right congruence (S, +). For the multiplicative reduct (S, ·), we know, by Lemma 1.1,
that +L is a congruence on (S, ·) and •L is left congruence on (S, ·) so •L ∧ +L is a left
congruence on (S, ·). Finally we prove that •L ∧ +L is also a right congruence on (S, ·).
Since •L is a left congruence on (S, ·) we have cb(+L)ca for any c ∈ S. Replacing z by
c, x by u, and y by v in (13), we get cbca = cb, and by interchanging a and b, we can
similarly obtain cacb = ca. In conclusion, we have cb(•L)ca, and so ca(•L ∧ +L)cb.
Thus, •L ∧ +L is a right congruence on (S, ·). As we have shown that •L ∧ +L is not
only a congruence on (S, +) and is also a congruence on (S, ·), (•L ∧ +L) is a semiring
congruence on (S, +, ·). Our proof is now completed. ¨

By the above theorem, we can easily observe that the following classes of idempotent
semirings
{S ∈I : •L ∧ +D ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : •L ∧ +L ∈ Con(S)}
{S ∈I : •L ∈ +R ∈ Con(S)} and
{S ∈I : +L ∧ •D ∈ Con(S)}
are L-subvarieties of the variety I of idempotent semirings. The above four L-subvarieties
of I defined by the congruences (•L ∧ +D), (•L ∧ +L), (•L ∧ +R) and (+L ∧ •D) on
S are denoted by Ld , L` , Lr and Ld∗ , respectively.
For other classes of idempotent semirings in Table 2, we can also give the descriptions
using some defining identities. We first state the following lemmas which are consequences
of Lemma 2.1 and so we omit the proofs.
82 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

LEMMA 2.3. Let S be an idempotent semiring. Then

(1) S satisfies •L ∧ +D = 1 if and only if S satisfies the identity
yx + xyx ≈ xyx + yx. (21)
(2) S satisfies •L ∧ +L = 1 if and only if S satisfies the identity
yx + xyx + yx ≈ xyx + yx. (22)
(3) S satisfies •L ∧ +R = 1 if and only if S satisfies the identity
yx + xyx + yx ≈ yx + xyx. (23)
(4) S satisfies •L ∧ +D = 1 if and only if S satisfies the identity
yx + x + y + x ≈ yx + x + y + x. (24)

LEMMA 2.4. Let S be an idempotent semiring. Then we have

(i) S satisfies •L ∧ +L = ∇ if and only if S satisfies the identities
xy ≈ x, (25)
x + y + x ≈ x. (26)
Thus S ∈ •Lz ∧ +R.
(ii) S satisfies •L ∧ +L = ∇ if and only if S satisfies the identities (25) and
x + y ≈ x. (27)
Thus S ∈ •Lz ∧ +Lz .
(iii) S satisfies •L ∧ +R = ∇ if and only if S satisfies the identities (25) and
x + y ≈ x. (28)
Thus S ∈ •Lz ∧ +Rz .
(iv) S satisfies +L ∧ •D = ∇ if and only if S satisfies the identities (27) and
xyx ≈ x. (29)
Thus S ∈ +Lz ∧ •Rz .
For the sake of convenience, we denote the above classes of idempotent semirings by
Ld0 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +D = 1}, Ld1 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +D = ∇}
L`0 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +L = 1}, L`1 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +L = ∇}
Lr0 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +R = 1}, Lr1 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +R = ∇}
Ld∗0 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +D = 1}, Ld∗1 = {S ∈ I : •L ∧ +D = ∇}

In closing this section, we are now going to study the Mal0 cev product of the above
subvarieties so that the relations between Ld , L` , Lr , Ld∗ of the variety I can be found.
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 83

THEOREM 2.5. (The First Mal0 cev Product Theorem)

(i) Ld = Ld1 ◦ Ld0 .

(ii) L` = L`1 ◦ L`0 .
(iii) Lr = Lr1 ◦ Lr0 .
(iv) Ld∗ = Ld∗1 ◦ Ld∗0 .

Proof. (i) If S ∈ Ld , then •L ∧ +D ∈ Con(S). Now, the (•L ∧ +D)-classes are in Ld1
and so S/(•L ∧ +D) is clearly in Ld0 . This shows that S ∈ Ld1 ◦ Ld0 . In other words, we
have Ld ⊆ Ld1 ◦ Ld0 .
Conversely, let S ∈ Ld1 ◦ Ld0 and ρ ∈ Con(S). Suppose that the ρ-classes ρu ∈ Ld1 , for
all S/ρ ∈ Ld0 . Then by S/ρ ∈ Ld0 and by Lemma 2.3(i), we can see that for any a, b ∈ S,
we have

ρba+aba = ρaba+ba .

Thus, for any c ∈ S, we have

ρba+aba+c = ρaba+ba+c ,
ρc+ba+aba = ρc+aba+ba ,
ρc(ba+aba) = ρc(aba+ba) .

However, since ρu ∈ Ld1 for all u ∈ S and by Lemma 2.4(i), we can see that ρu satisfies
the identity (25) for all u ∈ S. By using the above formulas of ρu , we immediately obtain
the following equalities:

(ba + aba + c)(aba + ba + c) = ba + aba + c,

(c + ba + aba)(c + aba + ba) = c + ba + aba,
c(ba + aba)c(aba + ba) = c(ba + aba).

Hence, we have shown that S satisfies (7), (8) and (9). By Lemma 2.2(1), we have S ∈ Ld .
This shows that Ld1 ◦ Ld0 ⊆ Ld , as required. ¨

The equalities (2), (3), (4) can be proved similarly and their proofs are omitted.

3. L-subvarieties related to the joins of L-relations

with some other Green0 s relations

In this section, we study the L-subvarieties of I related to the joins of the L-relations
with some other Green0 s relations satisfying certain conditions on idempotents semirings.
84 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

LEMMA 3.1. The following equalities hold for any idempotent semiring S.

(i) •L ∨ +D = (+D)(•L)(+D), (30)

(ii) •L ∨ +L = (+L)(•L)(+L), (31)
(iii) •L ∨ +R = (+R)(•L)(+R), (32)
(iv) +L ∨ •D = (+L)(•D)(+L). (33)

Proof. Let S be an idempotent semiring. Then, by a direct application of [9,

Proposition 1.5.11], we know that each left side of (30)–(33) is contained in the right
side. Thus, we only need to prove the inverse inclusion. Here we prove (30) and the other
proofs are similar.
To show that •L ∧ +D ⊆ (+D)(•L)(+D), we need to show that (•L)(+D)(•L) ⊆
(+D)(•L)(+L). Suppose a(•L)(+D)(•L)b for a, b ∈ S. Then there exist u, v ∈ S
such that a(•L)u(+D)u(•L)b. Because +D is a congruence on S and a(•L)u(+D)v,
we have a = au(+D)av. Also, by u(+D)v(•L)b, we have b = bv(+D)bu. Hence
a = au = au·u(+D)avu by a(+D)av. Furthermore, because •L is also a right congruence
on (S, ·), we have auv(•L)uvu by a(•D)u, and bu(•L)vu by b(•D)v. Thus, we have
a(+D)avu(•L)uvu(•L)uv(•L)bu(+D)b and thereby a(+D)(•L)(+D)b. This shows
that (•L)(+D)(•L) ⊆ (+D)(•L)(+D) as required. ¨

LEMMA 3.2. Let S be an idempotent semiring. Then for any a, b ∈ S, we have

(1) a(•L ∨ +D)b if and only if +Dab = +Da and +Dba = +Db .
(2) a(•L ∨ +L)b if and only if +Lab = +La and +Lba = +Lb .
(3) a(•L ∨ +R)b if and only if +Rab = +Ra and +Rba = +Rb .
(4) a(+L ∨ •D)b if and only if +Laba = +La and +Lbab = +La .

Proof. Let S be an idempotent semiring. We will prove (i) only as the proof of the other
cases are similar.
If a, b ∈ S such that a(•L ∨ +D)b, then by (30), there exist u, v ∈ S such that
a(+D)u(•L)v(+D)b. Since +D is a congruence on (S, ·), by a(•D)u, we have ab(+D)ub,
also u = uv(+D)ub by u(•L)v and v(+D)b. So a(+D)u = uv(+D)uv(+D)ab. This
proves that +Dab = +Da . Similarly, we can prove that +Dba = +Db .
Conversely, if +Dab = +Da and +Dba = +Db , for a, b ∈ S, then we obtain
a(+D)ab(+D)aba(•L) ba(+D)b. Thus, by (30), we can easily see that a(•L ∨ +D)b,
as required. ¨

By summing up Lemmas 3.1 and 3.2, we obtain the following descriptive results.
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 85

THEOREM 3.3. Let S be an idempotent semiring and x, y ∈ S. Then

(1) S satisfies •L ∨ +D = ∇ if and only if +Dab = +Da for a, b ∈ S, that is, S satisfies
the following identities

x + xy + x ≈ x (34)
xy + x + xy ≈ xy. (35)

(2) S satisfies •L ∨ +L = ∇ if and only if +Lab = +La for a, b ∈ S, that is, S satisfies
the following identities

x + xy ≈ x (36)
xy + x ≈ xy. (37)

(3) S satisfies •L ∨ +R = ∇ if and only if +Rab = +Ra for a, b ∈ S, that is S satisfies

the following identities

x + xy ≈ xy (38)
yx + x ≈ x. (39)

(4) S satisfies +D ∨ •D = ∇ if and only if +Laba = +La for a, b ∈ S, that is S

satisfies the following identities

x + xyx ≈ x (40)
xyx + x ≈ xy. (41)

By using Theorem 3.3, it can be easily seen that the following classes of semirings in
Table 2
{S ∈I : •L ∨ +D = ∇},
{S ∈I : •L ∨ +L = ∇},
{S ∈I : •L ∨ +R = ∇} and
{S ∈I : +L ∨ •L = ∇}

can be described by a set of identities and so they form the L-subvarieties of the variety I .
We denote the above subvarieties by e L d1 , e
L`1 , e
Lr1 and e
Ld∗1 respectively. We also consider
the dual of these four subvarieties of the variety of the idempotent semiring I in Table 2.
Denote these subvarieties by
e
Ld0 = {S ∈ I : •L ∨ +D = 1},
e
L`0 = {S ∈: •L ∨ +L = 1},
e
Lr0 = {S ∈ I : •L ∨ +R = 1} and
e
Ld∗0 = {S ∈ I : +L ∨ •D = 1}, respectively.

The following theorem now follows directly from definitions.

86 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

THEOREM 3.4. Let (S, +, ·) be an idempotent semiring. Then

(i) S satisfies •L ∨ +D = 5 if and only if the multiplicative reduct (S, ·) of the

semiring (S, +, ·) is a right regular band and the additive reduct (S, +) of (S, +, ·)
is a semilattice, that is, S ∈ •Rr ∧ •S` such that S satisfies the following identities

yx ≈ xyx (42)
x + y ≈ y + x. (43)

(ii) S satisfies •L ∨ +L = 5 if and only if (S, ·) are right regular bands, that is,
S ∈ •Rr ∧ +Rr such that S satisfies the identity (42) and the identity

y + x ≈ x + y + x. (44)

(iii) S satisfies •L ∨ +R = 5 if and only if (S, ·) is a right regular band and (S, +) is
a left regular band, that is, S ∈ •Rr ∧ +Lr such that S satisfies the identity (42)
and the identity

x + y ≈ x + y + x. (45)

(iv) S satisfies +L ∨ •L = 5 if and only if (S, ·) is a semilattice and (S, +) is a right

regular band, that is, S ∈ •L ∧ +Rr such that S satisfies (44) and the identity

xy ≈ xyx. (46)

Ld0 , e
Thus, by Theorem 3.4, e L`0 , e
Lr0 and e
Ld∗0 can be described by a set of identities and
they form some L-subvarieties of I .
There remains four classes of idempotent semirings in Table 2 that have not yet been
discussed. We now denote these four classes of idempotent semirings by
e
Ld = {S ∈ I : •L ∨ +D ∈ Con(S)},
e
L` = {S ∈ I : •L ∨ +L ∈ Con(S)},
e
Lr = {S ∈ I : •L ∨ +R ∈ Con(S)},
e
L∗ = {S ∈ I : +L ∨ •D ∈ Con(S)}, respectively.
d

Ld , e
We now verify that e L` , e
Lr and e
Ld∗ are indeed subvarieties of I .
THEOREM 3.5. (The Second Mal0 cev Product Theorem)

(1) Ld = e
e Ld1 ◦ e
Ld0 ;
(2) e
L` = L`1 ◦ e
e L`0 ;
(3) Lr = e
e Lr1 ◦ e
Lr0 ;
(4) e
L =e
∗ L∗ ◦ eL∗ .
d d1 d0

Proof. We only prove (i). The proofs of the other equalities are similar and we omit
them.
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 87

If S ∈ e
Ld then ρ = •L ∨ +D ∈ Con(S). Also it is obvious that ρu ∈ e Ld , for all u ∈ S.
By •L ⊆ ρ and •Lba = •Laba , for any a, b ∈ S, we have ρba = ρaba , i.e., ρb ρa = ρa ρb ρa .
This implies that S/ρ satisfies the identity (42). By +D ⊆ ρ and +Da+b = +Db+a , for
any a, b ∈ S, we have ρa+b = ρb+a . This is equivalent to say that ρa + ρb = ρb + ρa .
Hence S/ρ satisfies the identity (43). Thus, by Theorem 3.4(i), S ∈ e Ld1 ◦ e
Ld0 .
Conversely, if S ∈ e Ld1 ◦ e 0
Ld0 , then by the definition of Mal cev products, there exists
ρ ∈ Con(S) such that ρu ∈ e Ld1 for all u ∈ S and S/ρ ∈ e Ld0 . By ρu ∈ e
Ld for all u ∈ S we
e
have ρ ⊆ •L ∨ +D. Since S/ρ ∈ Ld0 , we know that S/ρ satisfies the identities (42) and
(43). By identity (42), it follows that •L ⊆ ρ, and by identity (43) the condition +D ⊆ ρ
also holds. Therefore, we have (•L) ∨ (+D) ⊆ ρ. It is now clear that ρ = (•L) ∨ (+D).
This proves that S ∈ e
Ld , as required. ¨

We now show that the above subvarieties of I can be determined by certain identities.

THEOREM 3.6. e
Ld is a subvariety of I determined by the following identities

(yx + z) + (yx + z)(xyx + z) + (yx + z) ≈ yx + z, (47)

(yx + z)(xyx + z) + (yx = z) + (yx + z(xyx + z) ≈ (yx + z)(xyx + z), (48)
zyx + zyxzxyx + zyx ≈ zyx, (49)
zyxzxyx + zyx + zyxzxyx ≈ zyxzxyx. (50)

Ld then ρ = •L ∨ +D ∈ Con(S), where ρu ∈ e

Proof. If S ∈ e Ld1 for all u ∈ S and
e e
S/ρ ∈ Ld0 . Since S/ρ ∈ Ld0 , by Theorem 3.4(1), we have ρba = ρaba , for any a, b ∈ S.
It follows that ρba+c = ρaba+c and ρcba = ρcaba , for any c ∈ S. By Theorem 3.3(i), we
have

(ba + c) + (ba + c)(aba + c) + (ba + c) = ba + c,

(ba + c)(aba + c) + (ba + c) + (ba + c)(aba + c) = (ba + c)(aba + c),
cba + cbacaba + cba = cba,
cbacaba + cba + cbacaba = cbacaba.

This shows that S satisfies (45), (46), (47), and (48). ¨

Conversely, let S be an idempotent semiring satisfying (47), (48), (49) and (50), and
suppose that a(•L ∨ +D)b, for a, b ∈ S. Then by formula (30) there exist c, d ∈ S such
that a(+D)c(•L)d(+D)b. First we claim that (•L ∨ +D) is a congruence on (S, +). That
is, we need to prove (a + w)(•L ∨ +D)(b + w) and (w + a)(•L ∨ +D)(w + b) hold for any
w ∈ S. In view of (47) and (48), we have (cd + w)(+D)(cd + w)(dcd + w). Moreover,
88 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

since c(•L)d, we also have (c + w)(+D)(c + w)(d + w). By interchanging c and d, we

find similarly that (d + w)(+D)(d + w)(c + w). As (+D) is a congruence on S, we have

(a + w)(+D)(c + w)(+D)(c + w)(d + w)(c + w)

(•L)(d + w)(c + w)(+D)(d + w)(+D)(b + w).

So, it follows that

(w + a)(+D)(w + c)(+D)(w + c)(w + d)(w + c)

(•L)(w + d)(w + c)(+D)(w + d)(+D)(w + b).

Thus, by (30), we have (a + w)(•L) ∨ (+D)(b + w) and (w + a)(•L ∨ +D)(w + b). Our
claim is now established. Next, we prove that (•L ∨ +D) is a left congruence on (S, ·). In
fact, by (49) and (50), we have wcd(+D)wcdwdcd. Applying the condition that c(•L)d,
we have wc(+D)wcwd. By interchanging c and d, we prove that wd(+D)wdwc. Since
(+D) is a congruence on S, we have

wa(+D)wx(+D)wcwd(+D)wcwdwc(•L)wdwc(+D)wd(+D)wb.

Thus, by (30), we have wa((•L) ∨ (+D))wb and so (•L ∨ +D) is a left congruence on
(S, ·). Finally, since (•L) is a right congruence on (S, ·) and (+D) is a congruence on S,
by (30) again, (•L ∨ +D) is a right congruence on (S, ·). Hence (•L ∨ +D) is, indeed, a
congruence on S.

THEOREM 3.7. e
L` is a subvariety of I determined by the additional identities

(yx + z) + (yx + z)(xyx + z) ≈ yx + z, (51)

(yx + z)(xyx + z) + (yx + z) ≈ (yx + z)(xyx + z), (52)
(z + yx) + (z + yx)(z + xyx) ≈ z + yx, (53)
(z + yx)(z + xyx) + (z + yx) ≈ (z + yx)(z + xyx), (54)
(z + y + x) + (z + y + x)(z + x + y + x) ≈ z + y + x, (55)
(z + y + x)(z + x + y + x) + (z + y + x) ≈ (z + y + x)(z + x + y + x), (56)
zyx + zyxzxyx ≈ zyx, (57)
zyxzxyx + zyx ≈ zyxzxyx. (58)

Proof. If S ∈ eL` , then ρ = (•L ∨ +D) ∈ Con(S), where ρu ∈ e L`1 for all u ∈ S,
and S/ρ ∈ e L`0 . By Theorem 3.4(2), we see that S/ρ satisfies (42) and (44), i.e., for any
a, b ∈ S, we have

ρba = ρaba and ρb+a = ρa+b+a .

Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 89

Furthermore, since ρ ∈ Con(S) we have,

ρba+w = ρaba+w , ρw+ba = ρw+aba ,

ρw+b+a = ρw+a+b+a , ρwba = ρwaba ,

for any w ∈ S. However, as ρu ∈ e

L`1 for all u ∈ S, and by Theorem 3.3(2), we deduce that

(ba + w) + (ba + w)(aba + w) = ba + w,

(ba + w)(aba + w) + (ba + w) = (ba + w)(aba + w),
(w + ba) + (w + ba)(w + aba) = (w + ba)(w + aba),
(w + b + a) + (w + b + a)(w + a + b + a) = w + b + a,
(w + b + a)(w + a + b + a) + (w + b + a) = (w + b + a)(w + a + b + a),
wba + wbawaba = wba,
wbawaba + wba = wbawbab.

This shows that S satisfies (51) to (58). ¨

Conversely, suppose that an idempotent semiring S satisfies the identities (51) to (58),
and a, b ∈ S are such that a(•L ∨ +Db). Then by (31), there exist c, d ∈ S such that
a(+L)c(•L)d(+L)b. Also, by (51) and (52) and by c(•L)d, we have, for any w ∈ S,

(c + w)(+L)(c + w)(d + w) and (d + w)(+L)(d + w)(c + w).

Since (+L) is a right congruence on (S, +) and it is a congruence on (S, ·) we have

(a + w)(+L)(c + w)(+L)(c + w)(d + w)(+L)(c + w)(d + w)(c + w)

(•L)(d + w)(c + w)(+L)(d + w)(+L)(b + w).

By (31), we obtain (a + w)((•L) ∨ (+L))(b + w). This shows that (•L) ∨ (+L) is a right
congruence on (S, +). Next, we prove that (•L ∨ +L) is a left congruence on (S, +). That
is, we need to prove (w + a)(•L ∨ +L)(w + b). However, by (53), (54) and c(•L)d, we
have

(w + c)(+L)(w + c)(w + d), (w + d)(+L)(w + d)(w + c).

Again by (55) and (56), and noting that a(+L)c and d(+L)b, we have

(w + a)(+L)(w + a)(w + c), (w + c)(w + a)(+L)w + c,

(w + d)(+L)(w + d)(w + b), (w + b)(w + d)(+L)w + b.

90 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

Now, from the last six formulas and from the fact that (+L) is a congruence on (S, ·), we
derive that

(w + a)(+L)(w + a)(w + c)(+L)(w + a)(w + c)(w + a)

(•L)(w + c)(w + a) + L(w + c),
(w + c) + L(w + c)(w + d)(+L)(w + c)(w + d)(w + c)
(•L)(w + d)(w + c)(+L)(w + d),
(w + d)(+L)(w + d)(w + b)(+L)(w + d)(w + b)(w + d)
(•L)(w + b)(w + d)(+L)(w + b).

This leads to (w + a)(•L ∨ +L)(w + b). It remains to prove that (•L ∨ +L) is a left
congruence on (S, ·). Indeed, by (57), (58) and c(•L)d, we have

wcwd(+L)wc, wdwc(+L)wd.

Furthermore, since (+L) is a congruence on (S, ·), we have

wa(+L)wc(+L)wcwd(+L)wcwdwc(•L)wdwc(+L)wd(+L)wb.

Thus, we have wa(•L ∨ +L)wb. In other words, (•L ∨ +L) is a left congruence on (S, ·).
Finally, we notice that (+L) is a congruence on (S, ·) and •L is a right congruence on (S, ·).
This shows that (•L ∨ +L) is a right congruence on (S, ·). Thus, (•L ∨ +L) ∈ Con(S),
as required.
Similarly, we can deduce the following results. Their proofs are omitted.

THEOREM 3.8. e
Lr is a subvariety of I determined by the following set of additional
identities

(z + yx) + (z + yx)(z + xyx) ≈ (z + yx)(z + xyx), (59)

(z + yx)(z + xyx) + (z + xy) ≈ z + yx, (60)

(yx + z) + (yx + z)(xyx + z) ≈ (yx + z)(xyx + z), (61)

(yx + z)(xyx + z) + (yx + z) ≈ yx + z, (62)

(x + y + z) + (x + y + z)(x + y + x + z) ≈ (x + y + z)(x + y + x + z), (63)

(x + y + z)(x + y + x + z) + (x + y + z) ≈ x + y + z, (64)

zyx + zyxzxyx ≈ zyxzxyx, (65)

zyxzxyx + zyx ≈ zyx. (66)
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 91

f∗ is a subvariety of I determined by the following set of additional

THEOREM 3.9. Ld
identities

(yx + z) + (xy + z)(yx + z)(xy + z) ≈ yx + z, (67)

(xy + z)(yx + z)(xy + z) + (xy + z) ≈ (xy + z)(yx + z)(xy + z), (68)
(z + xy) + (z + xy)(z + yx)(z + xy) ≈ z + xy, (69)
(z + xyxz + yx)(z + xy) + (z + xy) ≈ (z + xy)(z + yx)(z + xy), (70)
(z + y + x) + (z + y + x)(z + x + y + x)(z + y + x) ≈ z + y + x, (71)
(z + y + x)(z + x + y + x)(z + yx) + (z + y + x)
≈ (z + y + x)(z + x + y + x)(z + y + x). (72)

4. Other kinds of L-subvarieties

In this section, we discuss the following classses of idempotent semirings:

L0 = {S ∈ I : •L = 1}, L1 = {S ∈ I : •L = ∇},
L = {S ∈ I : •L ∈ Con(S)},
+L0 = {S ∈ I : +L = 1}, +L1 = {S ∈ I : +L = ∇},
+L = {S ∈ I : +L ∈ Con(S)}.

To start with, we state the following results. The proofs are easy and we omit them.

THEOREM 4.1. (1) L0 is a subvariety of I determined by the identity

xy ≈ yxy.
Thus L0 = •Rr .
(2) L1 is a subvariety of I determined by the identity

xy ≈ x.

Thus L1 = •Lz .
(3) L is a subvariety of I determined by the following set of additional identities

(xy + z)(yxy + z) ≈ xy + z, (73)

(z + xy)(z + yxy) ≈ z + xy, (74)
zxyzyxy ≈ zxy. (75)

(4) L = L1 ◦ L0 .
92 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

THEOREM 4.2. (i) (+L0 ) is a subvariety of I determined by the identity

x + y ≈ y + x + y.
Thus (+L0 ) = (+Rr ).
(ii) (+L1 ) is a subvariety of I determined by the identity

x + y ≈ x.

Thus L1 = Lz .
(iii) (+L) is a subvariety of I determined by the identity

z + x + y + z + y + x + y ≈ z + x + y.

(iv) (+L) = (+L1 ◦ +L0 ).

The following theorem describes the property of the relation (•L) on the idempotent semi-
ring S = (S, +, ·).

THEOREM 4.3. Let S = (S, +, ·) be an idempotent semiring such that its additive
reduct (S, +) is a semilattice. If (•L) is a congruence on (S, +) then S satisfies the identity

zxy ≈ zyxy. (76)

Proof. Since S is an idempotent semiring with (S, +) being a semilattice, we have, for
all x, y ∈ S,

x + y ≈ y + x.

If (•L) is a congruence on (S, +) then, since aba(•L)ba, for any a, b, c ∈ S, we have

(ab + c)
= (ab + c)(bab + c) (by •L ∈ Con(S))
= ab + abc + cbab + c
= ab + c + abc + cbab (by the additive commutative law)
= (ab + c) + abc + cbab
2

= (ab + abc + cab + c) + abc + cbab

= ab + (abc + abc) + cab + c + cbab (by the additive commutative law)
= (ab + abc + cab + c) + cbab
= ab + c + cbab.

Thus, we obtain

ab + c ≈ ab + c + cbab.
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 93

By interchanging ab and bab we can similarly find

(bab + c) = bab + c + cab.

Now, by multiplying c on the left side of the last two formulas, we have

cab + c = cab + c + cbab (by the additive commutative law)

= cbab + c + cab
= cbab + c.

Similarly, by multiplying ab on the right side of the last formula, we get

cbab + cab = cab.

Interchanging ab and bab, we obtain

cab + cbab = cbab.

By using the last two formulas, we further obtain

cab = cbab + cab

= cab + cbab (by the additive commutative law)
= cbab.

Thus, we finally get cab ≈ cbab and hence S satisfies (76) as required. ¨

The following corollaries are consequence of Theorem 4.3.

COROLLARY 4.4. Let (S, +, ·) be an idempotent semiring whose additive reduct (S, +)
is a semilattice. Then the following statements are equivalent:

(1) •L is a congruence on semiring (S, +, ·);

(2) •L is a congruence on the additive reduct (S, +) of (S, +, ·);
(3) the semiring (S, +, ·) satisfies the additional identity (73)

(xy + z)(yxy + z) ≈ xy + z,

for all x, y, z ∈ (S, +, ·).

COROLLARY 4.5. Let S be an idempotent semiring. Then the following statements

are equivalent:

(1) S ∈ e
Ld , that is, •L ∨ +D ∈ Con(S/+D);
(2) •LS/+D ∈ Con(S/+D);
94 zhao xianzhong, k. p. shum and guo yuqi algebra univers.

(3) S satisfies the identity (47), that is,

(xy + z) + (xy + z)(yxy + z) + (xy + x) ≈ xy + z,

(xy + z)(yxy + z)(xy + z) + (xy + z) + (xy + z)
(yxy + z) ≈ (xy + z)(yxy + z).

Proof. The equivalence of (1) and (2) follows directly from Theorem 3.6. Also, it is
easy to see that S satisfies (47) if and only if S/+D satisfies (73). So by Corollary 4.4, (2)
is equivalent to (3). ¨

PROPOSITION 4.6. Let S be an idempotent semiring in Ld . Then S ∈ L if and only

if S/(•L ∧ +D) ∈ L. In other words, •L ∈ Con(S) if and only if •LS/(•L∧+D) ∈
Con(S)/(•L ∧ +D).

Proof. Suppose that S is an idempotent semiring in Ld , that is, (•L ∧ +D) ∈ Con(S).
If S ∈ L then since L is a variety, we have S/(•L ∧ +D) ∈ L.
Conversely, if S/(•L ∧ +D) ∈ L, that is, •LS/(•L∧+D) ∈ Con(S/(•L ∧ +D), then by
Theorem 4.1(3), S/(•L ∧ +D) satisfies (73), (74) and (75). Hence, for any a, b, c ∈ S, we
have

(ab + c)(bab + c)(•L ∧ +D)(ab + c),

(c + ab)(c + bab)(•L ∧ +D)(c + ba),

cabcbab(•L ∧ +D)cab.

This implies that

(ab + c)(bab + c)(•L)(ab + c),

(c + ab)(c + bab)(•L)(c + ab),

cbacbab(•L)cab,

and thereby, we obtain

ab + c = (ab + c) · (ab + c)(bab + c) = (ab + c)(bab + c),

c + ab = (c + ab) · (c + ab)(c + bab) = (c + ab)(c + bab),
cab = cab · cabcbab = cabcbab.

Thus, S satisfies (73), (74) and (75) and so by Theorem 4.1, we have S ∈ L, as
required. ¨
Vol. 46, 2001 L-subvarieties of the variety of idempotent semirings 95

We now arrive at our main theorem.

THEOREM 4.7. Let (S, +, ·) be an idempotent semiring. Then (•L) is a congruence

on (S, +, ·) if and only if both (•L ∧ +D) and (•L ∨ +D) are congruences on (S, +, ·).
In other words, we have

L = Ld ∩ e
Ld .

Proof. The necessary part is obvious. We prove the sufficiency. Let S be an idempotent
semiring such that both (•L ∧ +D) and (•L ∨ +D) are congruences on S. We show that
(•L) is a congruence on S. Let a, b ∈ S such that a(•L)b. This implies that

(a + c)(•L ∨ +D)(b + c) ⇒ (a + c)(+D)(a + c)(b + c) (by Lemma 3.2 (i))

= (a + cb + ac + c)(+D)(a + c + ac + cb)
(since (x + y)(+D)(y + x) for all x, y ∈ S)
= ((a + c)2 + ac + cb)(+D)(a + c + cd).

Similarly (b + c)(+D)(b + c + ca). These imply (ca + c)(+D)(ca + c + cb) and

(cd + c)(+D)(cd + c + ca). Thus (ca + c)(+D)(cb + c) which implies ca(+D)(cb +
ca)(+D)cb. Then ca + cb + ca = ca and cb + ca + cb = cb. Also, since a(•L)b, we have
ab = a, ba = b. Then (a + b)(b + a) = a + b, (b + a)(a + b) = b + a ⇒ (a + b)(•L ∧
+D)(b+a). Thus ca = (ca +cb+ca)(•L∧+D)(ca +cb) (•L∧+D)(cb+ca +cb) = cb.
Now (a + c)(b + c) = (a + cb + ac + c)(•L ∧ +D)(a + ca + ac + c) = a + c. Similarly,
(b + c)(a + c)(•L ∧ +D)(b + c). Therefore (a + c)(b + c)(•L)(a + c) ⇒ (a + c)(b + c) =
(a + c). Similarly, (b + c)(a + c) = b + c. Thus (a + c)(•L)(b + c). Proceeding in the
same way, we can show that (c + a)(•L)(c + b). Also in the process of the above proof,
we have already shown that ca(•L)cb. Thus it follows that (•L) is a congruence on the
semiring S as it is a right congruence on the semigroups (S, ·). ¨

Acknowledgment

The authors are particularly grateful to Professors F. Pastijn and H. J. Shyr for their
helpful discussions contributed to this paper. The authors also thank the referees for their
valuable comments and suggestions which lead to a substantial improvement of this paper.

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Z. Xianzhong
Department of Mathematics
Northwest University
Xian, 710069
China

K. P. Shum
Department of Mathematics
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, Hong Kong
China (SAR)

Y. Q. Guo
Institute of Mathematics
Yunnan University
Kunming, 650091
China