Sentence:  These are <WSD>few</WSD> and seemingly disjointed data , but they illustrate the important fact that fundamental alterations in conditioned reactions occur in a variety of states in which the hypothalamic balance has been altered by physiological experimentation , pharmacological action , or clinical processes . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `a'; a small but indefinite number