Methods and systems for computing what a healthcare organization charged for a procedure, based on analysis of MedPAR data. Also disclosed are label-free, free-solution, andor real-time measurements of characteristic properties andor chemical events using the disclosed techniques. The coordinates of each device in the network are used to deduce the required functionality of the device based on the stored functional requirements, instructions for implementing the functionality are generated and the instructions are sent via the gateway to the network. In other aspects, the methods of the present invention comprise adding an acidic phosphate or a silicon-containing alkoxide to the concrete.