In an embodiment, a method is provided for conducting a search. The composition may also contain a buffer, preferably citrate, and optionally an aminoglycoside. Based on the identified characteristic, the method then identifies a polygon that encloses the set of points. When a scanner encounters a transponder, it reads data from the transponder and writes data to the transponder, including data read from prior encounters with other transponders. The estimated processing time of the currently available application instance and the updated processing time of the currently unavailable application instance are compared.