Universal coextensions within a variety (Q2365285)

A category is universal if it contains a full subcategory isomorphic to the category of directed graphs without loops and isolated vertices. The variety of all semigroups is universal [\textit{Z. Hedrlin} and \textit{J. Lambek}, J. Algebra 11, 195-212 (1969; Zbl 0206.02505)], also all universal varieties of semigroups were characterized [\textit{V. Koubek} and \textit{J. Sichler}, J. Aust. Math. Soc., Ser. A 36, 143-152 (1984; Zbl 0549.20038)]. For a given semigroup \(S\) and a given variety \({\mathcal V}\) define \({\mathcal V}_S\) to be the full subcategory of the category of all semigroups containing all \(T\in{\mathcal V}\) for which \(S\) is a homomorphic image of \(T\). The following two results are proved: 1. Let \({\mathcal V}\) be a variety of semigroups which is universal and let \(S\) have a least non-void ideal which is a completely simple semigroup. Then \({\mathcal V}_S\) is universal. 2. If a semigroup \(S\) has an idempotent then the category \({\mathcal S}_S\) is universal, where \({\mathcal S}\) is the variety of all semigroups.