Definition 11.5.3 (Regulated Function). Let $[a, b] \subset \real$, $E, F, H$ be TVSs over $K \in \RC$, and $E \times F \to H$ with $(x, y) \mapsto xy$ be a continuous linear map.

Let $G: [a, b] \to F$ and $f: [a, b] \to E$ be a step map, then $f$ is regulated with respect to $G$ if $f$ is continuous on all discontinuity points of $G$. Let $\text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$ be closure of all regulated step maps with respect to the uniform norm, then:

  1. Every regulated step map is in $RS([a, b], G)$.

  2. If $E$ is metrisable, then for any $f \in \text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$, $f$ is continuous at all but at most countably many points, and $f$ does not share any discontinuity points with $E$.

  3. If $E, F, H$ are locally convex, $G \in BV([a, b]; F)$, and $H$ is complete, then $\text{Reg}([a, b], G; E) \subset RS([a, b], G)$.

  4. If $F$ is normed and $G \in BV([a, b]; F)$, then $\text{Reg}([a, b], G; E) \supset C([a, b]; E)$.

The set $\text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$ is the space of regulated functions with respect to $G$. If $G = \text{Id}$, then $\text{Reg}([a, b]; E) = \text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$ denotes the space of regulated functions on $[a, b]$.

Proof. (1): If $f: [a, b] \to E$ is a regulated step map, then there exists $\seqf{[a_j, b_j]}\subset 2^{[a, b]}$ and $\seqf{x_j}$ such that

  1. $f = \sum_{j = 1}^{n} x_{j} \one_{[a_j, b_j]}$.

  2. For each $1 \le j \le n$, $G$ is continuous at $a_{j}$ and $b_{j}$.

Thus $f \in RS([a, b], G)$ by Proposition 11.5.1.

(2): Let $f \in \text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$, then there exists regulated step maps $\seq{f_n}\subset \text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$ such that $f_{n} \to f$ uniformly. For each $n \in \natp$, let $D_{n}$ be the set of discontinuity points of $f_{n}$. Let $x \in [a, b] \setminus \bigcup_{n \in \natp}D_{n}$. For any symmetric neighbourhood $U \in \cn_{E}(0)$, there exists $n \in \natp$ such that $(f_{n} - f)([a, b]) \subset U$. Since $f_{n}$ is continuous at $x$, there exists $\eps > 0$ such that $f_{n}((x - \eps, x + \eps)) - f_{n}(x) \in U$. In which case,

\begin{align*}f((x - \eps, x + \eps)) - f(x)&\subset (f_{n} - f)((x - \eps, x + \eps)) + (f_{n} - f)(x) \\&+ f_{n}((x - \eps, x + \eps)) - f_{n}(x) \\&\subset U + U + U\end{align*}

Therefore $f$ is continuous at $x$. Since each $D_{n}$ is finite, $\bigcup_{n \in \natp}D_{n}$ is countable. Given that $G$ is continuous on every point in each $D_{n}$, $G$ is also continuous on all the discontinuity points of $f$.

(3): Suppose that $E, F, H$ are locally convex, $G \in BV([a, b]; F)$, and $H$ is complete. Let $f \in \text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$, then there exists regulated step maps $\net{f}\subset \text{Reg}([a, b], G; E)$ such that $f_{\alpha} \to f$ uniformly. By Proposition 11.4.2, $f \in RS([a, b], G)$. Therefore $\text{Reg}([a, b], G; E) \subset RS([a, b], G)$.

(4): If $F$ is normed and $G \in BV([a, b]; F)$, then $G$ has at most countably many discontinuities by Definition 11.2.3, so the continuity points of $G$ are dense in $[a, b]$.

Let $f \in C([a, b]; E)$, then $f \in UC([a, b]; E)$ by Proposition 5.2.8. Let $U \in \cn_{E}(0)$, then there exists a partition $P = \bracsn{x_j}_{1}^{n} \in \scp([a, b])$ such that for each $1 \le j \le n$ and $x, y \in [x_{j-1}, x_{j}]$, $f(x) - f(y) \in U$. In which case, let

\[\phi = f(a)\one_{\bracs{a}}+ \sum_{j = 1}^{n} f(x_{j})\one_{(x_{j - 1}, x_j]}\]

then $\phi$ is a regulated step map with $(\phi - f)([a, b]) \in U$.$\square$