sar -m shows high # semop calls on HPux

I run a warehouse management system app on HP-UX 10. The app uses Oracle DB.
When users report the application is very slow I can almost always do a sar -m and find the # of semop calls is over 600. This seems to be the magic #, When it goes over 600 as high as 1200, the application grinds to a halt. The OS,App and DB do not report any errors during these periods of high semop calls. Nothing is starving for a semaphore. What exactly does # of semop calls mean? Who is making those calls? Is this something I can adjust or did I need to find out what’s making the calls and make it stop?