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A gauge of U.S. business prices was flat last month, a sign of continued mild inflationary pressures as Federal Reserve officials debate whether to raise short-term interest rates.

Nobel laureate Randy Schekman, a cell biologist at the University of California at Berkeley, told The Post, “I find it surprising that groups that are very supportive of science when it comes to global climate change, or even, for the most part, in the appreciation of the value of vaccination in preventing human disease, yet can be so dismissive of the general views of scientists when it comes to something as important as the world’s agricultural future.”

Manufacturing has enjoyed something of a renaissance since 2009 — after 12 years of declines, it has gained back 828,000 jobs. . . No. 6 San Diego-Carlsbad, which, like most metro areas, has lost industrial employment over the past decade, has seen a bit of a rebound since 2010, with an 11.5% expansion to 106,700 jobs concentrated mostly in aerospace and nondurable goods. . . But if Chicago’s loss can be attributed to the overall decline of the old industrial base, Los Angeles’ steady losses have come from a more modern mix of aerospace, design and specialty manufacturing. Since 2010 — despite the rapid growth in many manufacturing areas — Los Angeles has managed to lose an additional 3.37% of its industrial jobs. Over the past 25 years, the Big Orange has seen its once thriving industrial base fall from 785,400 to 356,100 jobs—a decline of almost 55%. In both Chicago and Los Angeles, the decline of manufacturing has accompanied demographic stagnation, high rates of poverty and mediocre overall job growth.

California has benefited more than any other state from the software explosion, the Software Alliance report said. The industry and its attendant fields contributed more than a quarter of total business research and development investment in California, the group estimated.

For the second year in a row, California is the top state in the nation for film production. But the share of movies being shot in the Golden State fell from 21 percent in 2014 to 17 percent last year, a new study found.

The trade gap increased 5.3% from March to a seasonally adjusted $37.44 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday. Exports of goods and services rose 1.5% while imports climbed 2.1%.

Consumer spending rose 1 percent last month after a flat reading in March, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Incomes were up a solid 0.4 percent, matching the March gain. Wages and salaries, the most important component of incomes, gained 0.5 percent.

U.S. factories have seen better days. Slow global growth and a strong dollar are weighing on manufacturers’ international ambitions. But a solid U.S. job market and still-low interest rates are supporting factories focused on domestic customers. That divide, as the Journal reported Monday, is showing up throughout recent manufacturing reports.

For the first three months of this year, registrations for new cars sold exceeded 500,000, a 3.8 percent improvement over the first quarter of 2015, marking the 22nd consecutive year-over-year increase in quarterly registrations.

Global industrial giants are struggling under the weight of a strong dollar, reeling commodity markets and weak demand in emerging and advanced economies alike, from Brazil to Europe to China. But domestically oriented U.S. manufacturers are faring better, with steadier business buoyed by the relatively brighter auto, housing and job markets.

“U.S. consumer prices recorded their biggest increase in more than three years in April as gasoline and rents rose, pointing to a steady inflation build-up that could give the Federal Reserve ammunition to raise interest rates later this year. Other data on Tuesday showed housing starts and industrial production rebounded strongly last month, suggesting the economy was regaining steam early in the second quarter after almost stalling early in the year.”

Economic gauges released Tuesday showed a pickup in industrial output, continued momentum in the housing sector and firming inflation all pointing to stronger—though still unspectacular—growth in the second quarter. That joined other recent data showing a rebound in retail sales, rising consumer confidence and continued job gains.

The state’s merchandise exports had a total value of $13.75 billion in March, down 8.2 percent from $14.98 billion a year earlier, according to Wednesday’s report from Beacon Economics, a consulting firm with offices in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

The Institute for Supply Management on Monday said its index of manufacturing activity fell to 50.8 in April from 51.8 in March. For a second straight month, however, the measure remained above 50, the threshold that divides expansion from contraction.

Travelers in the Bay Area spent more than $33 billion in 2015, which supported 248,300 jobs for residents and provided $2.8 billion in state and local tax revenue, according to Visit California’s annual economic impact report. The Bay Area was the largest regional contributor to a statewide tourism economy that topped $122 billion, sustained 1,064,000 jobs and generated $9.9 billion in state and local tax revenue – all record figures.