Weakly tight functions, their Jordan type decomposition and total variation in effect algebras

In the present paper, we have studied envelopes of a function m defined on a subfamily E (containing 0 and 1) of an effect algebra L. The notion of a weakly tight function is introduced and its relation to tight functions is investigated; examples and counterexamples are constructed for illustration. A Jordan type decomposition theorem for a locally bounded real-valued weakly tight function m defined on E is established. The notions of total variation |m| on the subfamily E and m-atoms on a sub-effect algebra E (along with a few examples of m-atoms for null-additive as well as non null-additive functions) are introduced and studied. Finally, it is proved for a real-valued additive function m on a sub-effect algebra E that, m is non-atomic if and only if its total variation |m| is non-atomic. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.