This remark describes efficiency improvements to Algorithm 916 [Zaghloul and Ali 2011]. It is shown that the execution time required by the algorithm, when run at its highest accuracy, may be improved by more than a factor of two. A better accuracy vs efficiency trade off scheme is also implemented; this requires the user to supply the number of significant figures desired in the computed values as an extra input argument to the function. Using this trade-off, it is shown that the efficiency of the algorithm may be further improved significantly while maintaining reasonably accurate and safe results that are free of the pitfalls and complete loss of accuracy seen in other competitive techniques.The current version of the code is provided in Matlab and Scilab in addition to a Fortran translation prepared to meet the needs of real-world problems where very large numbers of function evaluations would require the use of a compiled language. To fulfill this last requirement, a recently proposed reformed version of Humlíček's w4 routine, shown to maintain the claimed accuracy of the algorithm over a wide and fine grid is implemented in the present Fortran translation for the case of 4 significant figures. This latter modification assures the reliability of the code to be employed in the solution of practical problems requiring numerous evaluation of the function for applications tolerating low accuracy computations (<10 -4 ).

We present a MATLAB function for the numerical evaluation of the Faddeyeva function w ( z ). The function is based on a newly developed accurate algorithm. In addition to its higher accuracy, the software provides a flexible accuracy vs efficiency trade-off through a controlling parameter that may be used to reduce accuracy and computational time and vice versa. Verification of the flexibility, reliability, and superior accuracy of the algorithm is provided through comparison with standard algorithms available in other libraries and software packages.

A simple formulation and solution strategy for the Saha equation is introduced. The formulation discriminates between the cases in which either the pressure or the number density of heavy particles is known. This discrimination allows the method to be generalized to include all problems of practical interest, as well as to clarify ambiguities found in other formulations in the literature. The present method overcomes restrictions imposed on other competitive techniques and takes into account all possible formulae for nonideality corrections. In most practical cases the solution of the nonlinear set of the Saha equations is reduced to the simple problem of solving a single transcendental equation.

We provide a remedy for a recently published formulation of the Voigt function by reformulating the function into a single proper integral with a damped sine integrand. The present formulation clears up concerns highlighted about the original formulation. The reduction of the Voigt function to a single proper integral enables the use of algorithms available in the literature and included in many software packages to integrate the function and to evaluate the line profile with relative simplicity and superior accuracy. Evidence of the usefulness and superior accuracy of the new formulation is provided.

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