In this paper we establish new optimal bounds for the derivative of some discrete maximal functions, in both the centred and uncentred versions. In particular, we solve a question originally posed by Bober et al. [‘On a discrete version of Tanaka’s theorem for maximal functions’, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc.140 (2012), 1669–1680].

We prove that if a uniformly bounded (or equidistantly uniformly bounded) Nemytskij operator maps the space of functions of bounded ${\it\varphi}$-variation with weight function in the sense of Riesz into another space of that type (with the same weight function) and its generator is continuous with respect to the second variable, then this generator is affine in the function variable (traditionally, in the second variable).

The main goal of this paper is to give the answer to one of the main problems of the theory of nonautonomous superposition operators acting in the space of functions of bounded variation in the sense of Jordan. Namely, we prove that if the superposition operator maps the space $BV[0,1]$ into itself, then it is automatically locally bounded, provided its generator is a locally bounded function.

We make some comments on the existence, uniqueness and integrability of the scalar derivatives and approximate scalar derivatives of vector-valued functions. We are particularly interested in the connection between scalar differentiation and the weak Radon–Nikodým property.

We give a simple proof of a statement extending Fu's (J.H.G. Fu, Erratum to ‘some remarks on legendrian rectiable currents’, Manuscripta Math. 113(3) (2004), 397–401) result: ‘If Ω is a set of locally finite perimeter in ℝ2, then there is no function f ∈ C1(ℝ2) such that ∇f(x1, x2) = (x2, 0) at a.e. (x1, x2) ∈ Ω’. We also prove that every measurable set can be approximated arbitrarily closely in L1 by subsets that do not contain enhanced density points. Finally, we provide a new proof of a Poincaré-type lemma for locally finite perimeter sets, which was first stated by Delladio (S. Delladio, Functions of class C1 subject to a Legendre condition in an enhanced density set, to appear in Rev. Mat. Iberoamericana).