Thanks for throwing together the articles Bob. It would be good to get these on the sidebar or something for easy reference.
One thing that people also need to keep in mind with any type of clinical research is that each individual will respond differently when exposed to something; in this case high altitude.
While its certainly true that long term acclimation will produce the best results it is also clear that in the short term some acclimation can also stave off the major effects of AMS etc. Of course, you will still be panting up a storm and performing much below your normal athletic level, but at least you may not have severe headaches or nausea.
Then again, I think many people here will attest that their body reacts differently to altitude at different times which is also situation dependent. Sometimes you feel great, sometimes you don't.
