We developed the 33-item Emotion and Arousal Checklist (EACL), which consisted of five subscales to assess emotions (Fear, Anger, Sadness, Disgust, and Happiness) and four subscales to assess arousal (Energetic arousal + Energetic arousal -, Tense arousal+, and Tense arousal -). This checklist was developed to assess psychological state, both at a given moment and during the past week. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analyses identified nine subscales, whose internal consistency was indicated by their reliability. In Study 2, the EACL's validity was demonstrated by its correlation with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Multiple Mood Scale, General Arousal Checklist, Japanese UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist, and Profile of Mood States. In Study 3, changes caused by tasks that involved either reading emotion-inducing articles or performing a calculation indicated the validity of the EACL for measuring psychological state at a given moment. Further, the test-retest reliability of the EACL for assessing psychological state during the past week was confirmed. These studies confirmed the reliability and the validity of the EACL.

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Kinki University Fukuoka Campus coordinated with 5 high schools in Fukuoka prefecture, namely, Kaisei high school, Kurate high school, Hakuryo high school, Tagawa high school, and Tokaidai Daigo high school, to run a project called the Science Partnership Project (SPP). We took high school students to Hakata bay in Fukuoka prefecture to teach them about sustainable use of marine resources. We also ran experiments on how to efficiently use Ulva, an alga that has overgrown and results in green tide around the world. In order to make students aware of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the booklet of the secretariat of the CBD (SCBD) was used as an introductory textbook for the project. High school students who participated in the SPP program presented their findings at the 10th conference of the party to the convention on biological diversity interactive fair for biodiversity.

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By using structural equations, we investigated the effect of chronic stress on salivary cortisol rhythm and proposed a causal model of chronic stress by using psychosocial and physiological data. First, 111 healthy workers (48 males, 63 females) completed questionnaires on chronic stress and lifestyle habits. Then, they provided saliva samples and answered questionnaires that were prepared to assess their psychological states 5 times (on waking up and at 10:00, 11:40, 14:00, and 16:00) on workdays. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that chronic stress and longer commuting time resulted in sleep irregularities and this disrupted the cortisol circadian rhythm. This suggests that chronic stress disrupts the cortisol circadian rhythm even in healthy individuals, and sleep regularity mediates the effect of chronic stress on the cortisol rhythm.