diff --git a/miscprob.cc b/miscprob.cc
index e19ffaa1c61da46e2054f082ffcafb546a87aa42..89f7623bb00db7e90f685607fcb253fee599551d 100644
--- a/miscprob.cc
+++ b/miscprob.cc
@@ -56,11 +56,11 @@ ReturnMatrix normrnd(const int dim1, const int dim2, const float mu, const float
   return res;
 }
 
-ReturnMatrix normpdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float sigma)
+ReturnMatrix normpdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float var)
 {
   RowVector res(vals);
   for (int mc=1; mc<=res.Ncols(); mc++){
-    res(mc) = std::exp(-0.5*(std::pow(vals(mc)-mu,2)/sigma))*std::pow(2*M_PI*sigma,-0.5);
+    res(mc) = std::exp(-0.5*(std::pow(vals(mc)-mu,2)/var))*std::pow(2*M_PI*var,-0.5);
   }
 
   res.Release();
@@ -80,13 +80,13 @@ ReturnMatrix normcdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float var)
   return res;
 }
 
-ReturnMatrix gammacdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float sigma)
+ReturnMatrix gammacdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float var)
 {
   RowVector res(vals);
   res=0;
-  if((mu>0)&&(sigma>0)){
-    float b = std::pow(mu,2)/sigma;
-    float a = mu/sigma;  
+  if((mu>0)&&(var>0)){
+    float b = std::pow(mu,2)/var;
+    float a = mu/var;  
     for (int mc=1; mc<=res.Ncols(); mc++){
       if(vals(mc)>0)
 	res(mc) = gdtr(a,b,vals(mc));
@@ -96,13 +96,13 @@ ReturnMatrix gammacdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float sigma)
   return res;
 }
 
-ReturnMatrix gammapdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float sigma)
+ReturnMatrix gammapdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float var)
 {
   RowVector res(vals);
   res=0;
-  if((mu>0)&&(sigma>0.00001)){
-    float a = std::pow(mu,2)/sigma;
-    float b = mu/sigma;
+  if((mu>0)&&(var>0.00001)){
+    float a = std::pow(mu,2)/var;
+    float b = mu/var;
     float c = lgam(a);
     if(std::abs(c) < 150){
       for (int mc=1; mc<=res.Ncols(); mc++){
@@ -119,12 +119,12 @@ ReturnMatrix gammapdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu, const float sigma)
 }
 
 
-ReturnMatrix normpdf(const RowVector& vals, const RowVector& mu, const RowVector& sigma)
+ReturnMatrix normpdf(const RowVector& vals, const RowVector& mu, const RowVector& var)
 {
   Matrix res(mu.Ncols(),vals.Ncols());
   for (int mc=1; mc<=res.Ncols(); mc++){
     for (int mr=1; mr<=res.Nrows(); mr++){
-      res(mr,mc) = std::exp(-0.5*(std::pow(vals(mc)-mu(mr),2)/sigma(mr)))*std::pow(2*M_PI*sigma(mr),-0.5);
+      res(mr,mc) = std::exp(-0.5*(std::pow(vals(mc)-mu(mr),2)/var(mr)))*std::pow(2*M_PI*var(mr),-0.5);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/miscprob.h b/miscprob.h
index b50691da906d2fae6aa2cbb9204cf148bd2c0907..26c2e0494c018d02cd321829c1ed32f43ac5db4c 100644
--- a/miscprob.h
+++ b/miscprob.h
@@ -30,16 +30,16 @@ namespace MISCMATHS {
   ReturnMatrix mvnrnd(const RowVector& mu, const SymmetricMatrix& covar, int nsamp = 1);
   
 
-  ReturnMatrix normpdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float sigma = 1);
+  ReturnMatrix normpdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float var = 1);
 
   ReturnMatrix normpdf(const RowVector& vals, const RowVector& mus, 
-		       const RowVector& sigmas);
+		       const RowVector& vars);
 
-  ReturnMatrix normcdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float sigma = 1);
+  ReturnMatrix normcdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float var = 1);
 
-  ReturnMatrix gammapdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float sigma = 1);
+  ReturnMatrix gammapdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float var = 1);
 
-  ReturnMatrix gammacdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float sigma = 1);
+  ReturnMatrix gammacdf(const RowVector& vals, const float mu = 0, const float var = 1);
 
   
   class Mvnormrandm